Port projects bogged down by protests, oppn

Chennai: Though it had not hit the national headlines as the Chennai-Salem green corridor protests did, the Central government's ambitious Sagarmala project is facing stiff opposition by fisherfolk and environmentalists as well. Probably, the staunch opposition has not seen much progress in the Enayam International Container Transshipment Terminal (EICTT) project at Enayam in Kanyakumari district.

The fishing communities have been expressing concern over the Sagarmala project claiming the coastal development plan is just an excuse for “land grab.” Among the persistent plea by them is to hold public hearing on the proposed project. The Enayam International Container Transshipment Terminal witnessed opposition from the fishing community over the past years. The port was earlier proposed to be established at Colachel, and was shifted 10 km away to Enayam in 2016. The fisherfolk fear sea erosion if the project come ups and have claimed that the Enayam project would displace over 30,000 fishermen families.

According to official sources, the detailed project report for the Enayam port is still under preparation.

A major grouse of the fishermen is that in certain places like Ennore and Kanyakumari where there is a proposal to build a port, the government has removed key tidal zones such as mud-flats and salt marshes from the CRZ maps. This clearly exposed the government's intention to parcel out the coastal wetlands to commercial interests like the Sagarmala project, they allege.

While announcing 104 projects for '2.5 lakh crore under Sagarmala project in Tamil Nadu, Union minister for road transport, highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari exuded confidence that this would improve the employment potential of youth in the state besides the export potential. “Next time I will come here (Thoothukudi) in a sea plane,” he remarked in a lighter vein.

Union minister of state for finance and shipping Pon Radhakrishnan has been taking several steps to ensure the port project materialises in his native district. The project is also among the poll assurance of the BJP during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.