CHENNAI: The controversy over the proposed construction of a new secretariat near Pattinapakkam has flared up again, with fishermen from Mylapore and Triplicane deciding to boycott a government-organised consultation meeting scheduled for Tuesday, alleging that the fisheries department failed to formally invite all the affected fishing villages.
The decision comes amid growing opposition to the project, with the fishermen also condemning the TNHB’s move to invite tenders for demolishing 96 rental tenements at Foreshore Estate in Mylapore, a 3.82-acre site that they have been demanding be allocated for their rehabilitation.
The consultation meeting is scheduled to be held at the Chennai collectorate at 10 am. However, the fishermen said the information about the meeting was conveyed orally through a fisheries inspector from the assistant director of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare’s office at Neelankarai, instead of a formal written communication being sent to all the affected village representatives.
“How can the government hold a consultation on such a sensitive project without formally inviting all the affected fishing villages? The information was conveyed orally. We have not received any written invitation,” said K Bharathi, a fishermen’s leader.
At a meeting held on Sunday evening, the village representatives from Mullikuppam to Mattankuppam unanimously decided not to attend Tuesday’s meeting. They clarified that they were not opposed to consultations but wanted the government to follow proper procedures and ensure that all affected villages were represented.
“We have been consistently opposing the secretariat project because of its implications for our community and rehabilitation,” Bharathi said.
Adding to the tensions, the fishermen have objected to the TNHB inviting tenders on Monday for demolishing 96 rental quarters and other buildings at Foreshore Estate.
The fishers contended that the 3.82-acre property is the land they have sought for their long-term rehabilitation under the Coastal Regulation Zone provisions.
They further said that the government had proposed constructing the new secretariat on the same land without addressing their rehabilitation demand.