The fishing panchayat of Kattupalli Kuppam in Tiruvallur district has written an open letter to all political parties asking them to give their opinions on a private port in the area asking for the sea around its periphery to be declared a no-fishing zone.
In a press release here, Kannan, of Kattupalli Kuppam, said in a letter in 2019, the port had sought a no-fishing zone of 7.7 sq km, which was huge and was meant only for the existing port.
The expanded port, with land cover of 6,100 acres, would require nearly 50 sq km, where fishermen from not only Kattupalli or Pulicat but also those from the city and other areas of Tiruvallur would be prevented from fishing, he added.
K. Saravanan, of the Save Ennore Creek Campaign, said the villagers had been forcibly evicted in 2008 to make way for the port. “The proposed expansion will increase the area of the port from the present 331 acres to 6,100 acres of which 2,000 acres will be new land created by dumping sand on very rich fishing grounds,” he said. He had obtained a copy of the letter through an RTI petition. “The letter argues that the fishing boats and nets pose a serious security concern and safety hazard to the ships,” he added.
A retired official of the Fisheries Department said though it was common for sensitive installations such as ports, atomic power stations or rocket launch sites to seek no-fishing zones, such a large zone was not known previously.
“It would be under 500 m. The channel and anchorage would be covered under this. It would be based on the requirement of each site. At times, when there is a special need, such no-fishing zones would be brought into effect and implemented by local Fisheries Department officials. Fishermen too know it is safer not to fish in areas where ship traffic is heavy,” he explained.
