THOOTHUKUDI: District Collector Dr K Senthil Raj, on Monday, appealed to the Amalinagar fishermen to engage in peace talks with the district administration while reassuring them of constructing a groyne structure after getting appropriate approvals following a nod from National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Fishermen belonging to Amalinagar fishing hamlet have been on an indefinite strike since last Monday, demanding a groyne structure along the beach to prevent soil erosion and protect their boats from violent waves.
Fisheries and Animal Husbandry minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan had, in April 2022, announced in the state legislative assembly that a groyne structure would be constructed on Amalinagar beach at a cost of Rs 58 crore. "However, the project was stalled by an order from NGT on April 11, 2022. Following this, the aggrieved fishermen had resorted to an indefinite protest in February, which was soon brought to an end," sources said.
Stating that the Amalinagar fishermen continued to strike and stage protests again since last Monday, sources said they also refused to participate in a peace meeting arranged by the district administration. Following this, the collector informed the press regarding the issue.
Speaking to the press at the collector's office, Senthil Raj said the groynes proposed for Amalinagar will be constructed in compliance with the NGT orders. "This is not a project to be ignored or cancelled as no new project has been sanctioned after the Amalinagar proposal. The projects underway were sanctioned earlier," he said and appealed to the fishermen to not believe in rumours.
"As per the NGT order, the state government is formulating a Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) based on the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), 2019 notification. It is an order for all the 11 coastal estates and union territories," he noted.
Once the CZMP is ready, the district administration will pass the project proposal at the district-level coastal zone management committee to the state coastal zone management authority.
"We need time to formulate the coastal zone management plan. A public hearing for the same will be conducted in the coming days. The ports, fishing harbour, T-jetty, boat jetty, fish trading centres, and all facilities will be mapped on the coastal regulation zone map. A groyne at Amalinagar beach will definitely be constructed after getting proper clearance and nod from the authorities concerned," he reassured and invited the fishermen to take part in the peace talks and discuss the developments.