Fisherfolk protest ‘illegal’ coastal zone management plan

Speaking to DT Next, fisher leader K Bharathi, president of Mylai Nochikuppam Meenava Grama Sabai which organised the protest, said that they have been continuously agitating against the illegal maps but have received no respite. “Close to a thousand fisherfolk from the city and 40 surrounding fishing villages – from Thalangkuppam to Nainarkuppam – gathered outside the Collectorate,” he said.

“As per the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, 2011, the draft CZMP prepared by the state Environment department should have land-use plans and include an exhaustive list of each fishing village (which has been omitted) and demarcation of fishing grounds. In addition, long-term housing plans are not included. The critical feature – the hazard line, which indicates the limits to which the sea’s impact will be felt inland – has not been drawn. Without this, there will be untold damage if beachfront locations are open to development as proposed by the draft CZMP,” said the fisherman. 

This is not the first time that such a botched-up plan is being put up leading to protests. Tracing the history of coastal rule violations, Bharathi said, “In 2013, we protested the draft CZMP because it had major errors. For instance, Pattinapakkam near Marina was marked near Kotturpuram. After protests, it was withdrawn.”

The fisherfolk demanded the public hearing scheduled on Friday (April 27) at the Chennai Port Trust to be rescinded, the illegal maps withdrawn and fresh ones prepared as mandated by the law. In protest, the fisherfolk stayed away from the sea for a day and held demonstrations. 

If this continues, the fisherman warned, the agitations would intensify. “We will also approach MPs from coastal areas and pressurise them to raise their voices in Delhi to ensure that our welfare is not being neglected in this process,” he added. 

Activists who participated in the protest warned that if such plans are to be approved, it would have disastrous effects on the livelihood of fisherfolk and strip the community of all traditional customary rights over coastal common lands. Further, the development of built-up area on eco-sensitive coastal area is a recipe for disaster.