THOOTHUKUDI: More than 1,500 salt pan owners and workers staged an agitation along Thoothukudi-Tiruchendur Road in Muthaiapuram on Thursday, condemning the move to retake possession of government land leased to salt pan business in Mullakadu and acquisition of private salt pans for the centre's proposed shipbuilding project. Expressing solidarity with the protesters, traders who own shops between Muthaiapuram and Palayakayal closed up shops for the day.
Kovalam Pasuvantharai Thanpadu Small Scale Salt Producers Association legal advisor Chokkalingam led the agitation. The association's president V Manithiramoorthy and secretary P Sekar urged the state and union governments to shift the project away from the region, as it would jeopardise the livelihoods of thousands of people depending on the salt pan industry. The individuals who spoke during the protest highlighted that destroying one business for another serves no purpose and urged the state government to drop land acquisition for the shipbuilding project. Former AIADMK MLAs S P Shanmuganathan and S T Chellapandian also condemned the government's move.
Unorganised Workers Federation state deputy secretary M Krishnamoorthy said that establishing a large-scale industry such as shipbuilding at an ecologically sensitive region like the Gulf of Mannar would affect the fragile marine ecosystem. The project will invite many ancillary industries, such as painting and metallurgy, and the pollution caused by those would further endanger the livelihood of the traditional fishermen, he said.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam organiser Agitha Agnel extended support to the protest and said their party leader Vijay would be on the side of the aggrieved salt pan owners and workers.
Cadres attached to the CITU, INTUC and other labour unions took part. Athimarapatti, Mullakadu Muthaiapuram farmers association, all traders association, salt workers association and fishermen association also took part in the protest.
Thoothukudi has over 25,000 acres of salt pans that produce 25 lakh tonnes of salt every year. The state and union governments are likely to acquire 1,147 acres, including 731 acres of government poramboke lands in Kovalam Beach of Mullakadu panchayat, for the shipbuilding project.