The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Fishermen, residents oppose elevated road plan

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Friday, Jun 05, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Fishermen, residents oppose elevated road plan

A. Srivathsan

Groups submit detailed memorandum to senior officials

CHENNAI: Representatives of fishermen villages, residents’ associations and institutions here have signed a memorandum opposing the proposed elevated coastal road between Light House and Kottivakam Kuppam. They want the government to abandon the project in the public interest and to save the stretch of the beach. The memorandum was submitted to the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Highways Department, on Wednesday.

The presidents of Meenavar Panchayat Sabhas of Orur Kuappam, Olcott Kuppam, Thiruvanmiyur Kuppam, Kottivakam and Odaimanagar Meenavar Nirvagha Sabhai, along with the Kalakshetra Colony Welfare Association and institutions including the South India Fisher People Welfare Association, the Kalakshetra Foundation, the Theosophical Society and the CPR Environmental Education Centre are signatories.

T. Veerabadhran, president, Meenavar Panchayat Sabhai, Thiruvanmiyur Kuppam, said the project would affect the means of livelihood of fishermen and displace them. “Such projects running close to the coastline would affect fishing-related activity and disrupt our lives.”

Gangadharan, a member of the Srinivasapuram Meenavar Sabhai, demanded to know why consultations were not held with the fishermen and their opinions not solicited despite the fact that they are the ones most affected.

“Fishermen are treated as second class citizens,” he added.

The memorandum says the project would damage the ecosystem and make the beaches unusable. It questions the objective of the project and says that instead of decongesting traffic along the Marina it “would achieve just the opposite by drawing vehicle traffic to the beach road [Kamarajar Salai] from all parts of the city.” This will “destroy the peace and aesthetics of the Marina.”

M.G. Devasahayam of a non-governmental organisation said that the project would be detrimental to the Marina beach road and would not improve it. “The feasibility report has used doubtful figures to justify the project. What the city needs is overall traffic modelling and not piecemeal projects.”

The project will “seriously jeopardise the efforts at the ecological restoration of the Adyar Creek being carried on as per the orders of the Madras High Court,” and directly contravene the notification under Section 37(1) of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, the memorandum says. It will also violate the Coastal Regulation Zone notification.

Shweta Narayan of Corporate Accountability Desk, one of those who met the officials, said: “We have communicated our unified opposition to the project and they said they would look into it when the Detailed Feasibility Report is taken up.”

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