Nochikuppam fishermen protest as GCC stops roadside fish sale

CHENNAI: A group of fishermen from Nochikuppam has been protesting over the past two days against the Greater Chennai Corporation’s decision banning them from selling on roadside without providing an alternative venue and have threatened to go on a road roko protest from Thursday, if their demands are not met.

The corporation commissioner has been urging fish vendors to move their business to the newly constructed fish market on Loop Road, while warning of penal action against those setting up stalls at non-vending zones on roadsides. However, the civic body has not allotted Nochikuppam fishermen spots at the new fish market, but removed their stalls. Nearly 800 fishermen have been stripped of livelihood as over 200 fiber boats stopped venturing into the sea following the civic body’s action.

“The local body has constructed a market that cannot accommodate more than 360 fish vendors. So we continued selling on the roadside, but police and corporation authorities removed our stalls and imposed fines on us. Even customers are willing to buy fish from us here. Moreover, the left side of the road is not marked as a non-vending zone, but the corporation still does not permit us there,” rued K Bharathi, a fisherman at Nochikuppam.

The two-day strike has dealt a double blow to the fishing community here that has already been struggling to meet ends. Fishermen have urged the corporation to permit them to sell on unmarked roadsides or provide them with alternative space.

“After allocating shops at the new market, the local body has announced a blue flag certificate. Their focus is to change the beach into a tourist spot; our livelihood is not their concern, and we have been dependent on this business for generations,” said V Shankaran, a fish vendor.

As the protesting fishermen at Nochikuppam have issued a road roko threat on Thursday, fishermen at Srinivasapuram have requested the corporation to construct a new fish market for their hamlet vendors.