FFishermen fight displacement

C Shivakumar Chennai: Fishermen of Nallathaneer Odai Kuppam prefer to be devoured by tsunami than lose their livelihood as they went on a daylong strike in Sungachavadi near Kasimedu on Tuesday to protest against the move to displace them to settlements in AIR Colony in Ernavoor following construction of Rs 600 crore Ennore Manali Road Improvement Project. More than 200 grim-looking men and women huddled in a makeshift shamiana overlooking the sea near the busy Manali Road listened patiently to speakers from various associations who backed their struggle under the watchful eyes of police as they highlighted their plight of losing their livelihood. The head of the kuppam Radhakrishnan told Express that the protest was not against the Ennore Manali Road Improvement Project. “We do not want to hinder the project we just want to live near the sea so that our livelihood is not affected. Let them build the road but they should provide tenements to those affected by works to a nearby promboke land instead of displacing them to AIR colony in Ernavoor,” he said. “We are not afraid of tsunami but are worried over losing our livelihood if we are shifted to AIR Colony in Ernavoor,” said Radhakrishnan. But an official of Tamil Nadu Road Development Company, who is in charge of the project said they have resettled people of 27 of the 29 kuppams hit by the project to AIR Colony in Ernavoor. “They were also fishermen but they moved into the colony to get government compensation,” he reasoned. But fishermen oppose these figures alleging that they are exaggerated. The official said 258 of the 447 families would be hit by the project and all of them wanted to stay in a place together which is not possible. “The district administration held talks with the villagers and still discussions are on. The villagers have to be moved to complete the project,” he said. Interestingly, the protest was held without seeking the police permission, said President of South Indian Federation of Fishermen Jayapalayan. When Express asked the policemen monitoring the protest whether they are planning to arrest the fishermen, they said as long as the protest is peaceful, they won’t initiate any action.