CHENNAI: Fishermen’s representatives on Thursday threatened to take legal action if the TN government proceeded with its proposed Assembly and secretariat complex at Foreshore Estate, alleging that the site had been selected without a feasibility study or a Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Addressing a press conference, the Mylapore Area All Fishing Villages Panchayat Sabha alleged that the land did not belong to the government and that the fishermen’s community had been raising concerns over its ownership for several years.
G R Vijayan, coordinator of the Sabha, recalled that the previous DMK government had proposed a Marina Mall on the same site but dropped the plan following opposition from fishermen. The community was subsequently assured that the land would be transferred to them through patta, but the assurance remained unfulfilled as the government changed, he said.
The present TVK government had now proposed to construct the Assembly and secretariat complex on the same land, triggering fresh opposition from the fishing community, Vijayan added.
He said the Sabha had sought information from the public works department under the Right to Information Act on whether a feasibility study or DPR had been prepared for the project. However, the department had replied that it had no such records.
Vijayan also expressed concern over CM C Joseph Vijay’s silence on the issue despite several protests.
He also criticised Mylapore MLA and Food Minister P Venkataramanan, alleging that the minister had assured fishermen before the polls that their grievances would be addressed but had not met them since the formation of the new government.
The fishermen’s representatives demanded that the government convene a formal consultation meeting and issue written invitations to all affected fishing villages.
