Loop Road Fishermen Plan Black Flag Protest Sunday Over Secretariat Proposal

Fishermen from villages between Nochikuppam and Srinivasapuram have been asked to join a peaceful black flag agitation on Sunday against the proposed Secretariat at Foreshore Estate. The fishermen have expressed strong opposition to the proposal and appealed to all the villages to participate in the protests.

The agitation will focus on their demand that the State government return lands belonging to Mullikuppam and Mullimanagar to the villages. They want these lands to be earmarked for the future expansion of their villages.

Land and housing demands

The fishermen’s demands also include the construction of houses for those living along the Marina Loop Road. They said most of the houses in the area were built 40 to 50 years ago. The demand for new houses forms part of the concerns they have submitted to the Chief Minister’s Special Cell.

“We hope the government will take a positive decision on the issue. Since we are the stakeholders who matter the most, we request the government to appoint someone to listen to our grievances before taking such a major decision. We are holding protests only because nobody has discussed the issue with us,” said fishermen leaders G.R. Vijayan and K. Bharathi.

Series of protests planned

Fishermen from Nochikuppam, Bhavanikuppam, Domingkuppam, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Mullikuppam/Srinivasapuram, Mullimanagar, Nambikai Nagar, Selvarajpuram and Irudayapuram have planned a series of protests. The protests are intended to attract the attention of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to their demands. The fishermen have said they want their grievances heard before a decision is taken on the proposed Secretariat.

Source: The Hindu