Fishermen to meet on Sept 7 to decide Light House-Kottivakkam sea link bridge
A proposal to construct a sea link bridge from Lighthouse to Kottivakkam was among the six highway projects to be implemented in the city.
Fisherman in the sea
CHENNAI: Fishermen living along the city coast from Nochikuppam to Uthandi will meet on September 7 to decide on the State Highway Department’s proposed sea-link bridge from Lighthouse to Kottivakkam modifying more than a decade-old shelved elevated project.
“Fishermen from over 20 villages from Nochikuppam to Uthandi will participate in the meeting on Saturday. It’s a sensitive issue for the fishermen as their livelihoods are at stake. We’ll decide on the course of action,” said activist K Saravanan, Uroorkuppam.
A proposal to construct a sea link bridge from Lighthouse to Kottivakkam was among the six highway projects to be implemented in the city. It was reviewed on August 5 by Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin who also holds the Special Initiatives Department portfolio.
The State Highways Department has revived its earlier proposal to construct a 9.7 km elevated link road from Lighthouse to ECR near Kottivakkam which was shelved by the AIADMK government in 2011.
“The old project affected our living areas and those working on the shore. But the new proposal directly affects our livelihoods. Fishermen using the traditional nets near the shore would be affected badly if the marine bridge is constructed,” he added.
He demanded the Highways department consult with the fishermen during the preliminary stage itself. “The department is acquiring land to build an elevated road on ECR. The government must widen the existing roads first,” he stated.
K Bharathi, president, Neidhal Makkal Katchi, said that the elevated road from Lighthouse to Kottivakkam was scrapped after strong opposition from the fishermen. “The AIADMK had promised to scrap the project if voted to power in the State assembly polls in 2011. After coming to power, the Jayalalithaa-government dropped the project. Now, modifying it to a sea link bridge would only attract vigorous opposition from the community,” he said.
However, an official from the State Highway Department pointed out that the project was only at the conceptual stage and the alignment was not yet finalised.
