A welfare forum for farmers has opposed the announcement of Minister Kandasamy proposing to construct a fishing harbour in Panithittu-Narambai coastal villages.
In a memorandum, Bangaru Vaickal Neeradhara Koottamaippu said the Puducherry Government had gone ahead with a similar fishing harbour at Pudukuppam, a village bordering the Cuddalore district.
The project was abandoned half way after crores of rupees of taxpayers’ money were spent as the Ministry of Environment and Forests refused to grant permissions. The Ministry cited environmental costs and damage to not only the coastal eco-system but the freshwater tank networks in the Bahour region where huge ingression of saline water could kill the freshwater aquifers.
The contractor went to court and extracted a huge compensation from the Government which again was a waste of public money.
“Now, it appears that history is repeating itself. Another fishing harbour is announced by the Minister just 2 km north of the Pudukuppam harbour which is half built and abandoned. No environmental impact study has been made, no public hearings conducted, and nobody is bothered about the huge destruction it can have on the north-ward of the beach where large level erosion was to take place as had happened in the Puducherry port case,” said V. Chandrasekhar, president, while appealing to Lieutenant Governor Kiran to call for records.
