Worli fishermen give it a miss

The fishing community in Worli, under the Mumbai South constituency, boycotted the Lok Sabha elections on Monday in protest against losing a major portion of their fishing grounds to the Mumbai Coastal Road Project.

The project has threatened to render the community unemployed as it has reclaimed the inter-tidal regions near Worli, which were heavily loaded with oyster beds, fish nurseries and unique marine biodiversity.

The Kolis of Worli Koliwada are an artisanal fishing community who practise traditional ecological fishing methods. The women in the community are known to be oyster pickers and the men have specially-designed boats and fishing nets. “When trouble surfaced, we were abandoned by all the parties. When we needed them, they turned their back on us. Why should we support them now?” a fisherman said, on condition of anonymity. On April 19, the Worli police took down banners seeking a boycott on the elections and accused them of violating the Model Code Of Conduct.

While the community has always pledged its loyalty to the Shiv Sena, the arrest of two fishermen for circulating a WhatsApp message, which urged the community to wave black flags at a Sena rally, alienated them from the party. “Our fishing season has begun. We have to earn this month as we have already lost a lot of produce to the reclamation work. If we are arrested by police again, our families won’t survive,” another fisherman said.