Fisherfolk protest removal of shops from Marina Loop Road

On Friday, police arrested 380 persons from Nochikuppam after the protesters turned restive when the police tried to evict them as asked by the Greater Chennai Corporation. The civic body wants the space to carry out Marina beautification works. The detainees were later released after the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association submitted a petition to Corporation Commissioner K Karthikeyan.

“The civic body reiterated that a huge fish market will be constructed in the OSR land behind Santhome park. But the authorities have been promising that such facility will be constructed since 2014,” said K Bharathi, working president of the association.

“Fisherwomen will start regulating the shops from Monday. We have promised to take care of cleanliness of the immediate surroundings as well as operating without causing any hindrance to the vehicular traffic. This will be undertaken by the fisherwomen who manage shops here,” he added.

The association had already submitted a plan to construct a fish market in the locality at an estimated cost of Rs 35 lakh. “This is yet to be approved,” Bharathi said.

Another member of the association pointed out how the authorities have been citing the strict rules under the Coastal Regulation Zone to insist that shops cannot be built along the Marina beach. “But the regulation was put in place only to give us sustainable livelihood,” he added. The fisherfolk community claims that nearly a revenue of Rs 5 lakh was lost during the recent protest. Currently, around 350 fish stalls are being operated along the stretch, providing livelihood for about 1,000 fisher families.