CHENNAI : Coming as good news for thousands of fishermen, who literally get stranded during every monsoon, in Pasiyavaram island, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, has approved Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for the construction of a high-level bridge across Pulicat lake to connect Pasiyavaram island with the mainland.
About 50,000 fishermen reside in the island, which has five villages — Sathankuppam, Edamani, Edamani Colony, Rahmat Nagar and Pasiyavaram — falling in two panchayat limits. The island is surrounded by Pulicat lake towards the north, Kosasthalaiyar river merged with Buckingham canal towards the east and south, and rain water drainage canal towards the west.
Express recently published a detailed article on the plight of islanders, especially young women and children who wade through knee-deep water for daily needs. Though, there is a temporary mud road, people find it inconvenient to walk and it goes underwater during monsoon.
Now with the Environment ministry granting CRZ clearance, sources in the State Highways department say the project would be fast-tracked though the proposal for the bridge is over a decade old and the project was stonewalled on multiple occasions due to environment concerns.But, the Highways department has carried out all the necessary studies and made a detailed presentation before an Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry, establishing that the project will not cause any damage to the ecologically sensitive Pulicat lake.
The State government had already accorded administrative sanction of Rs 15 crore under the Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme in 2007-08 and later revised it to Rs 18.20 cr in 2015. While granting CRZ clearance, EAC said it has put forth a few conditions which include temporary structures set up for construction of the bridge and materials for construction, to be removed; the area around the site restored to its near original state and utmost care to be taken while transferring and storage of construction material to the project site so that the CRZ characteristics of the site is least disturbed.
Durai Mahendran, fisherman leader and resident of Sathankuppam, told Express that it was a dream come true. “We have been fighting for this project since 2008. There were instances in the past when boats capsized while attempting to cross the lake in flood waters during the monsoon. In 2015, four school children were injured in an accident,” he said, and added that the government should expedite the project now.