Around 250 fishermen and their families from Kattukuppam in Ennore protested on Monday demanding that the Tangedco stop construction work on a coal conveyor belt.
They said waterways had been clogged with debris and flyash that had been dumped to facilitate the work being carried out on the Konamudukku Pazhankalvai, a channel of the Kosasthalaiyar.
R.L. Srinivasan, a fisherman, said civil work had lead to the destruction of the mangrove forests, and demanded that the Tangedco should stop the work, remove the sand already dumped in the river, restore the waterbody to its original condition and compensate the fishermen for their damaged livelihoods.The fishermen said they wanted to meet with Tangedco officials in the presence of the Tiruvallur Collector. A senior official of Tangedco denied any irregularities in the construction of bridges for the coal conveyor belt to Ennore SEZ.
He said a detailed report regarding the alignment and the permission granted by the Central Environment Agency had been submitted to Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji.
