Chennai fisherfolk protest against assembly, secretariat construction; warn of larger stir

Fisherfolk living along the Foreshore Estate staged a protest in Chennai on Tuesday against the state government’s proposal to build a new Assembly and Secretariat complex in the area.

Some protesters were clad in black and carried black flags as they raised slogans against the proposal. They also warned that they would intensify their protest if the government failed to withdraw the proposal.

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A member of the Tamil Nadu Fishermen Federation, GR Vijayan listed the protestors’ demands. “The government order issued on September 8 announcing government plans to construct Assembly and Secretariat must be cancelled,” he said.

“The land that the Metro City Improvement Trust gave to the fishermen must be officially granted to us, along with the issuance of land titles (patta). Many houses of the fishermen are severely dilapidated, we are bringing it to the chief minister’s attention to immediately construct and provide houses for us on a war footing.” he added.

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“If the chief minister does not cancel this G.O within the next 5 days, we will unite all fishing villages across Tamil Nadu and organize a massive protest,” warned Vijayan.

Making a suo motu statement in the assembly on September 3, chief minister C Joseph Vijay said the government would establish a new Assembly-cum-Secretariat complex in Chennai at a cost of ₹1,200 crore, with a built-up area of 20 lakh sq ft. The complex would house all state government departments. The proposal came amid space constraints at Fort St George and limitations arising from its historical preservation. Built in 1640, the campus spans 107 acres, but the government owns only four acres; the rest belongs to the defence authorities and Archaeological Survey of India.

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To drum up support to their protest, a delegation of fisherfolk recently met former chief minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin who assured them of the party’s support. Stalin warned that the DMK would also join the demonstrations if the government failed to pay heed to the fisherfolk’s demands.

Meanwhile, state law minister CTR Nirmal Kumar said that government was examining alternative sites for the proposed complex. On September 25, he had clarified that the government has not taken any decision that would be ‘anti-people or against the interests of the fishermen communities”.