KARAIKAL: Fishers have been protesting for the past three days in TR Pattinam here demanding the establishment of a dedicated mini harbour to safely berth their boats and conduct operations.
The fishers, hailing from Pattinacherry village, have 30 mechanised and 200 motorised boats. Mechanised boats are docked at Karaikal harbour, while the motorised boats are berthed on the sandy shores of the village along the estuary of Thirumalairajan River.
For the past two decades, the fishers have been vocal about their need for a mini harbour with breakwater structures. "Our fishers have been struggling without infrastructure for several years. Their boats are under constant risk while arriving and departing through the estuary. We request a harbour with breakwater structures for our village," said P Kalaimani, a fisher representative.
"Without proper infrastructure, our lives are at risk. Accidents are frequent. Last year, a fisherman who fell from a boat was never found," said N Veerabalan, another fisher representative.
In addition to the demand for a mini harbour, the fishers are seeking the resumption of operations at a defunct ice plant established by an NGO in 2009. They also insist on the construction of an overhead water tank for 3,000 people.
On Monday, fisher representatives from the village held talks with Collector A Kulothungan.
"The proposal for constructing an overhead water tank is under process. The ice plant operations can also be resumed. However, the feasibility of constructing the mini harbour is yet to be approved, pending a decision by the Union government," the collector told TNIE. Following this, the fishers launched a black flag protest and a hunger strike on Tuesday. The demonstrations continued with a sit-in protest by fishers on Wednesday.