Fishermen take oath to oppose coastal projects

On Sindhanai Sirpi Singaravelar’s 167th birth anniversary on Wednesday, fishermen from hamlets in and around the city, took an oath to oppose projects like Blue Economy and TN Shore as they do not seem to ‘bother’ about the welfare of the fisher community. 

“These projects only aim at the economic development through tourism projects, ports, ship building activities, and assistance for large fishing companies. We are being side-lined. These projects do not speak about long-term measures for issues like sea level rising and coastal erosion. Fishing hamlets are the first to get affected if any natural disaster happens on the coast. There are no systems in place for our safety,” said fishing community leader K. Bharathi. 

Kabaddi Maran, a community leader, said that both Central and State governments are vying with each other to make money out of the coast in the name of economic development. Artisanal fishermen and even those with mechanised boats are suffering due to dwindling catch. The governments are not bothered about the welfare of fishermen, he charged.