On Monday, representatives from the fisherfolk community along the Fore Shore Estate coast in Chennai’s Pattinapakkam met with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader MK Stalin. They are seeking his support against the state government’s proposal to invest ₹200 crore in the construction of a new Secretariat and Assembly Complex at Fore Shore Estate. The fisherfolk are concerned about the potential impact of this development on their livelihoods and the local environment.
A third claimed that no one from the ruling dispensation or administration had approached the fishing community to hear their concerns. Speaking to reporters at Anna Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters, after calling on Stalin, a member of the delegation, which represents around 1,500 families, said residents of the coastline in question were given land titles decades ago, particularly those living in Mullikuppam, where a plot of land has been identified for the Secretariat and Assembly project.
Another member said the construction of the new Secretariat in the area would affect their livelihood severely.
State minister Aadhav Arjuna said on Sunday that CM Vijay did not take any decision on the plan, and the plan was only at the stage of a detailed project report (DPR). Stalin, meanwhile, hit out at the state government over the matter. Noting that numerous spots were available for the plan, he cited the example of the Omandurar Government Estate campus built by late DMK patriarch and his father M Karunanidhi. “If needed, the hospital currently functioning there can be shifted to another location, and the building can be reused as the Secretariat.
Because an astrologer said that the chief minister’s office should face the sea,”the DMK chief claimed, however, news reports suggest that the Chief Minister chose Fore Shore Estate simply.
“I express that the DMK extends its full support to the protests by the fishing community against this (new Secretariat plan),” he said. “If it comes to choosing between the Secretariat and the lives of the fishing community, our CM will stand only with the fishing community,” he said.
