Nettukuppam fishermen protest govt. inaction

May 30, 2014 09:11 am | Updated 09:11 am IST - CHENNAI:

Residents of Nettukuppam in Ennore staged a black flag protest in their village on Thursday, when other villages prepared for the lifting of the 45-day ban on fishing.

They protested the government’s inaction in helping them re-open the estuary of Ennore Creek, which has been closed due to sand deposits.

This had made it difficult for fishermen to venture into the sea, they said.

The residents said their petitions to various government departments had not yielded any results.

According to the fishermen, the mouth of the creek had shifted towards the south due to various factors, including the dumping of boulders to protect the village. “The Water Resources Department had constructed a seawall to protect the village after six houses tumbled into the sea. However, the manner in which the wall was constructed has led to erosion of sand just beyond the wall and sand deposition beyond the old pier,” said Kalaivanan, a fisherman.

His neighbour and friend Desappan said, since a lot of stones and iron pieces were buried in the sand near the pier, fishermen were afraid to venture into the sea.

“The waves are very rough and if the boat overturns, there is always the danger of fishermen getting injured. There have been a few deaths already. But nobody has come to our aid,” he said.

A request to the Ennore Thermal Power Station that has been dredging the estuary for several years now had not evinced any response, said fishermen.

Fisherfolk of Ennore Kuppam, Thalangkuppam, Mugadwarakuppam and Kattukuppam too have not been able to go out to sea because of this.

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