Fishermen’s stir against Enayam port halts work

The pet project of union minister of state for shipping and Nagercoil MP Pon Radhakrishnan has been bogged in controversy right from its initiation. Meanwhile, Vilavancodu, Killiyur, Padmanabapuram, Nagercoil, Colachel and Kanniyakumari MLAs handed over a petition against the project to union shipping minister Nitin Gadkari at New Delhi recently. 

Asked about this, Vilavancodu MLA S Vijayadharani said “the petition requested the central government to shift the project to Colachel as centring it at Enayam would affect fishing hamlets, fishing opportunities in addition to affect the locality environmentally.” 

Though Pon Radhakrishnan invited Nitin Gadkari to inaugurate the multi crore bridge at Suchindram on Friday, fishermen opposing his coming to their area hoisted black flags in their houses on the 25 kilometre stretch between Neerodai on the TN – Kerala border and Colachel. Jasiah, former three time Colachel municipal chairman and coordinator of the People’s Movement against Enayam, said “the shipping ministry refuses to understand the problems which locals will face as pointed out by the techno-economic feasibility study undertaken earlier. 

The project is located 19 km from the Bay of Bengal and 59 kms from the Arabian sea. The Thengaipattinam fishing harbour in this area currently being built up by the TN government will be totally affected as it is being continually eroded by the sea, while the Colachel fishing harbour will be covered by sand and the Muttom fishing harbour will be nowhere.” 

It may be recalled that inauguration of the office was bogged in controversy as it was done by the minister with former MLAs while none of the 6 sitting MLAs, district collector or AIADMK bigwigs were invited to the function. Asked about this minister Pon Radhakrishnan said “no work has taken place on the Enayam project as the local MLAs are inciting the people against it.” 

Asked whether he knew about the 6 MLAs going to New Delhi to meet his department boss, he said, “I heard about it, but I preferred to ignore it.”