Fishermen take oath to oppose coastal projects

On the 167th birth anniversary of ‘Sindhanai Sirpi’ Singaravelar on Wednesday, fishermen in the city and surrounding villages vowed to oppose projects like Blue Economy and TN Shore as they did not seem to ‘disturb’ the welfare of the fishing community.

“These projects are only aimed at economic development through tourism, ports, shipbuilding activities and aid to big fishing companies. We are standing aside. These projects do not mention long-term measures to address problems such as rising sea level and coastal erosion. In case of any natural disaster on the coast, the first to be affected are fishing hamlets. There is no system to ensure our safety,” said K. Bharathi, leader of the fishing community.

Community leader Kabaddi Maran said both the Central and State governments are competing with each other to earn money from the coast in the name of economic development. Artisanal fishermen and even fishermen with mechanized boats were suffering due to reduced catch. He claimed that governments were not bothered about the welfare of fishermen.