Tamil Nadu fisherfolk oppose Secretariat plan at Pattinapakkam

Fisherfolk from Nochikuppam to Srinivasapuram along the Marina Loop Road in Chennai have voiced strong opposition to the state government's proposal to build the new Secretariat at Foreshore Estate, near Pattinapakkam. They argue that the project would completely disrupt their livelihoods and curtail their freedom.

Community leader K. Bharathi pointed out that existing initiatives, such as the Blue Flag beach scheme and the use of the Marina Loop Road for regular traffic, have already hampered their daily activities. He said the community lacks space on the beach to park boats, store and mend nets, or sell fish. The narrow mud road that connects the coastal fishing villages has become a busy thoroughfare for everyone, and authorities have told them they cannot claim these spaces as a matter of right without understanding the nature of their work. Bharathi warned that if the Secretariat comes up, heightened security would make their very existence difficult.

V.R. Vijayan of the Maylai Pagudhi Anaithu Meenava Grama Panchayat Sabhai said more than 1,500 fishing families would have nowhere to go if the complex is constructed on the identified land. He noted that the land was gifted to the communities by the late leader Sindhanai Sirpi Singaravelar, and they have been demanding its return.

In a show of unity, representatives from 140 fishing villages across Tiruvallur to Chengalpattu are scheduled to meet on Tuesday to pass a resolution against the government's decision and plan their next course of action.