THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hundreds of families residing in the fishing hamlets of erosion-hit Pozhiyoor continue to be at the receiving end of an advancing sea, with the authorities turning a blind eye to their plight. It has been three years since the state government announced a seawall project to save the Pozhiyoor shoreline. But the project remains in the back burner.
On Saturday, the fisherfolk from Pozhiyoor and Paruthiyoor staged a protest march and organised a dharna in front of the Matsyafed office at Pozhiyoor demanding the mmediate construction of a seawall and harbour.
“Apart from promises and announcements, the government has failed to do much to save the lives and livelihoods of the people here,” said Fr Jacob Stellus, a priest with the St Mary Magdalene Church.
“The residents are seriously considering boycotting the elections, if needed. It’s been three years since the project was announced. So many people have lost their homes, and even before the monsoon season, the sea has started advancing and people are unable to venture into the sea for fishing.”
According to official sources, the project is getting delayed because of the severe financial crisis faced by the state. Initially, the government sanctioned around Rs 50 crore for the project. But the indefinite delay caused a revision of the estimate, which now stands at around Rs 61 crore.
The local residents are planning to intensify their protest in the coming days.
“We have been raising these issues for the past many years, and we met ministers and the district collector,” said Saju Nicholas, a local resident and member of the parish committee.
“They do site visits and go back. We have lost our patience and our lives are on the line. Last year, we faced large-scale destruction. And to this day, nothing has happened on the ground. Temporary solutions will not work. They should start implementing the project immediately.”
In the recent budget, the state government set aside Rs 5 crore to construct a harbour at Pozhiyoor. Neyyattinkara MLA K Ansalan said the project failed to take off as planned owing to a fund crunch. He said directions have been given to the irrigation department to take temporary measures to minimise the destruction in the area.
“It’s a KIIFB-funded project. The the recent restrictions imposed by the Centre have halted the fund flow from KIIFB. All measures have been taken to expedite the project. The state cabinet will have to approve the revised estimate for the project. After Chellanam, the state government is giving top priority to Pozhiyoor,” Ansalan said.
He said the residents have every right to protest. “There is going to be a delay, and elections are just round the corner. We will be able to get the cabinet approval by May. We have also expedited the procedures to launch the harbour project at Pozhiyoor. Both projects will be launched this year,” the MLA added.