CHENNAI: Fish vendors along Loop Road near the Marina Lighthouse staged a one-day hunger strike from 8 am to 5 pm on Tuesday, urging the Greater Chennai Corporation and the state government to withdraw plans to relocate them to the two-year-old modern fish market. They reiterated that the move would severely affect their livelihood.
Speaking to TNIE, K Bharathi of the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association said the stretch is used by vendors from more than nine fishing villages, not just Nochikuppam. “If only one village, Nochikuppam, is accommodated inside the market, customers will assume the fish sold outside is fresh and go there, affecting those vendors inside.
Meanwhile, accommodating vendors from all villages in the market is not practical, as the market, which was built at `10 crore without public consultation, has design flaws, lacks adequate space and basic infrastructure even for the existing vendors,” he said. Kala P (41), a vendor from Nochikuppam, said, “Minister P Venkataramanan was not ready to listen to our concerns.”
BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan also visited the protest site and said, “The protesters have three demands. First, they want a community hall. Second, they want to continue operating shops along the roadside, as these are more accessible to customers. Third, they want the government to ensure Blue Flag beach projects are implemented only in locations that do not affect the livelihood of fisherfolk. It is disheartening that the people who provide us with highly nutritious food - fish - are themselves fasting.”