“Why is it that all the developmental projects initiated in Kochi are ending up destroying our livelihood”, asked an aged fish worker, who appeared palpably angry.
The old man was speaking at a brainstorming session held on the livelihood issues faced by fish workers at a workshop organised by the Pandit Karuppan chair of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) on Friday.
His outburst was representative of the anger felt by fish workers and activists who shared their anguish across several sessions in the workshop. “We organised the workshop after getting a sense of the alienation felt by fish workers cross the state.
Like the tribal population, the fish workers are also getting disenchanted with the mainstream society. Financial liberalisation has intensified this alienation. We need further studies to understand the exact nature of this alienation”, said K S Purushan, professor of eminence, Pandit Karuppan Chair, KUFOS. Charles George, president, the Kerala Fish Workers Aikyavedi, said that exploitation of fishworkers is a common story across the coastal belt.
“The modus operandi might differ. In some cases, the process of exploitation is direct and in some others it becomes sophisticated. It is high time the government had intervened to prevent things going out of hand. Also, government should support initiatives in the cooperative sector, but unfortunately it is sabotaging such movements in the state”, he said.
He added that organised foreign capital in the fisheries sector is becoming aggressive. “In the name of development, the government is turning into a stooge of foreign capital.” V Dinakaran, former MLA and chairman of the Matsyafed, said that middlemen are cornering the wealth created by fishworkers.
“The actual producers should be in charge of processing and marketing. If the government can ensure this, it will bring drastic changes”, he said.