Actor Kamal Haasan visited Ennore in the early hours of morning on Saturday a day after he’d tweeted about the encroachments on the Kosathalaiyar river and how this had posed a flood risk for the 10 lakh residents of North Chennai.
In an official video released by the actor’s office, Mr. Haasan is shown as being accompanied by environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman, and taking a tour of the Ennore port area. He is also seen interacting with residents of Kattukuppam to understand the challenges they face due to the ecological destruction of the Kosasthalaiyar river and the Ennore creek here. The video further shows the actor perusing a map of the Ennore coastline to understand the nature of encroachments on the waterbody.
Later tweeting about the experience in Tamil, the actor said that the women and youth in Kaatukuppam thanked him for his intervention in the matter and that what he had done was not to be seen as help for them but his responsibility.
In another tweet the actor also thanked Union Minister for Shipping Pon. Radhakrishnan and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol. Thirumavalavan after they welcomed his move to visit and inspect the Ennore creek. The actor, who had formally annouced his entry into politics in September, said that their wishes encouraged him.
In his tweet on Friday, the actor had referred to how over 1,000 acres of the waterbody in Ennore had already been lost to encroachments and that the port, thermal power plant complexes and oil and natural gas companies here were responsible for the situation.
Referring to Kosasthalaiyar and Ennore creek as the basis of the fishermen’s livelihood, he said in a detailed note that so far the efforts of fisherfolk to raise their voice against this destruction, with the help of activists, had fallen on deaf ears.
