TIRUNELVELI: Fishermen in Kootapuli village went on a one-day strike and staged protest along with their family members here on Monday, demanding the expeditious completion of the Rs 48.5-crore groyne and fish landing centre to mitigate sea erosion and safeguard their dwellings. Raising black flags, the agitating fishermen and their family members waded into the sea, and installed similar flags atop their houses to mark their dissent.
The construction of the groyne commenced in August 2024, with Assembly Speaker M Appavu and School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi inaugurating the works. "Despite initial momentum, the project has suffered delays with only 20% of the work completed so far. Meanwhile, the coastal erosion over the past month has rendered more than 30 houses vulnerable to seawater ingress, forcing us to intensify our protest," the fishermen said.
In the absence of officials' intervention, the fishermen said that they resorted to placing sandbags along the shore as a makeshift barrier against further erosion. The protest saw widespread participation from the fishermen's families, led by Albin, Kootapuli Christian priest. Albin said that the electric poles across the shore may fall on the ground anytime soon due to sea erosion. "The state government ignored our repeated petitions and its officials are not ready to hear us. We have been forced to protest to save our lives," he said.
While inaugurating the project, Speaker Appavu had asserted that the groyne would serve as a permanent bulwark against sea erosion, facilitating safe berthing of fishing boats and reducing marine accidents. "The plan includes the construction of a 955-metre-long southern groyne, a 395-metre-long northern groyne, and a 20x10-metre fish auction hall," he had said.