CHENNAI: Pattinampakkam fishermen have threatened to launch an indefinite protest if the Tamil Nadu government does not withdraw its proposal to construct a new Assembly complex in their locality, citing concerns over the impact of the project on their livelihood and the fishing community.
The state government has announced that the new Assembly complex will be constructed on 25.52 acres at Pattinampakkam, with the proposed facility spread across 20 lakh sq ft at an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore.
In opposition to the project, fishermen from Pattinampakkam, Sreenivasapuram and nine fishing villages along the Loop Road, on Tuesday, held a meeting at Sreenivasapuram beach.
They announced that Chief Minister Vijay should revoke the GO for the newly announced Pattinampakkam Assembly complex project after he returns from the UK tour. Otherwise, they said, they would launch an indefinite protest.
Members and representatives from 36 fishing villages along the Chennai coast and various districts attended the meeting and extended their support to the fishermen of Pattinampakkam and the other nine fishing villages.
Fishermen claimed that the 25.52 acres at Foreshore Estate, which was recently procured for the proposed Assembly complex, belonged to the fishing community.
According to them, in 1957, the Tamil Nadu government took land from fishermen and issued GO No. 3313 under the Madras City Improvement Trust, assuring them that new houses would be constructed and handed over to them. However, this did not happen. Therefore, they said, the land belongs to the fishing community.
They also noted that the new Assembly complex plan would affect shore fishing in Nochikuppam, Mullikuppam and Sreenivasapuram. Fish selling, fishing net drying and boat parking would also become impossible as the area would be converted into a highly secured zone, they added.
Speaking at the meeting, Shanthi from Nambikai Nagar said congestion had become a major issue due to the ongoing Metro work, as the traffic was diverted to the Loop Road. The police had initially said the arrangement would continue for only three months, she said, adding, however, three years have passed, and the traffic diversion is still in place, causing heavy congestion. "If the new Assembly complex is established here, we will lose our houses and fishing rights," she said.
Highlighting that under the CZMP map, the Foreshore Estate land would be classified as a fisherman residential area, Neithal Makkal Katchi leader K Bharathi urged the government to declare the Loop Road a protected fishing zone to safeguard the fishing communities.