CHENNAI: Fisherfolk in South Chennai will protest in front of the district collectorate on September 9 (Tuesday) against the State government and the Greater Chennai Corporation’s plans to construct a sea bridge from the Lighthouse to Mamallapuram and implement Blue Flag beach projects, which they say threaten their livelihood.
The decision was taken at a consultative meeting of representatives from 25 fishing villages, held at Tiruvanmiyur Kuppam on Saturday evening. The meeting also resolved to form the South Chennai Fishermen’s Panchayat Protection Committee, with N Rathnavel of Tiruvanmiyur Kuppam as president.
Rathnavel alleged that the proposed 15-km sea bridge from Nochchikuppam (Lighthouse) to Neelankarai Kuppam, and the second phase of Blue Flag certification in Marina, Tiruvanmiyur, Palavakkam and Uthandi, were being pushed forward without consulting the community.
“These projects will take away the spaces we use for keeping boats, drying nets and fish. The stretches that lie unused in summer are crucial during the monsoon. Restricting us to smaller areas will directly affect our livelihood,” he said.
He added that private agencies managing Blue Flag-certified beaches would displace fisherfolk from the shore. The committee demanded a long-term residential plan to safeguard the community’s needs.
It warned that if their concerns were ignored, the protest would escalate with human chains, black flags on boats and sea demonstrations.