Encroachment drive in Marina Loop road: Nochikuppam fishermen protest

CHENNAI: Hundreds of fishermen, black flags tied in the boats in Nochikuppam staged a protest for the fourth consecutive day on Monday against the Madras High Court order to remove the encroachments at Marina Loop road. The fishermen stated that if the case is not been withdrawn, a state-wide protest will be held in the coming days.

“Our livelihood is dependent on selling fish, and initially the civic body along with police officers asked us not to sell for two hours (7-8 am and 3-4 pm) due to traffic congestion in the locality. But, now they claim that we have encroached on the road, and continue to evict shops. To carry out development works in the city under the Singara Chennai 2.0 project, our business is being impacted,” said J Kosumani, a fisherman in Nochikuppam.

Due to the eviction drive in the area, the fishermen have not ventured into the sea for catching. It resulted in a severe impact on their livelihood. The vendors are forced to purchase from the wholesale markets and sell on the road. During the protest, the fishermen mentioned that though the Chennai Corporation provides an alternative space to sell fish, they are not willing to move from the Loop road.

“We will not withdraw the protest until court judgment is favourable to us. Also, if they evict the shops from the road, and urge us to move somewhere, we will continue to protest. And it would also become a state-wide protest. Fishermen are also worried that the local body might remove our houses in the locality claiming illegal encroachments,” said R Vinoth, another fisherman.

On April 12, the Greater Chennai Corporation removed 55 fish stalls in the Loop road after the high court direction. The officials stated that they would monitor that the temporary shops do not encroach on the road.