Ennore fishers demand Minister Rajiv’s apology, TN govt moves for peace talks

CHENNAI: Fishing communities in Ennore have demanded an apology from Environment Minister Rajiv over his statement in the Assembly that human faecal matter mixed with the water could have caused the mass fish deaths, questioning how such a conclusion could be reached before a complete investigation report was available. 

The fishing villages had decided to launch a series of protests from Monday over the absence of a comprehensive report on the August 15 fish kill and his remarks.

Meanwhile, police convened a peace committee meeting at Thazhankuppam on Sunday morning in an attempt to pacify. At the meeting, residents questioned how the minister could attribute the deaths to human waste. They also sought details of the dead fish and water samples collected so far, the departments that collected and tested them, and the findings of those tests. 

“A statement hasn’t even come out yet, neither has the report. So how can the Minister say it’s human waste before that?” a fisherman fumed. The meeting was attended by Tiruvottiyur councillor Senthil Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police C Maheswari, Ennore Inspector Vijayakumar, Tiruvottiyur Tahsildar Dayalan and Fisheries Department Assistant Director John. Villagers from Nettukuppam, Thazhankuppam, Ennorekuppam, Mugathivaraikuppam, Kattukuppam, Sivanpadaikuppam, Chinnakuppam and Periyakuppam also participated. 

Maheswari, who said she had been posted only about a month ago, sought three days to take up the concerns with the concerned ministers and arrange another peace committee meeting. She appealed to the community not to proceed with the protest until then.

The fishermen agreed to wait for the three-day period but said they would resume the agitation if their concerns were not addressed.