Eminent personalities, fishermen stage fast

Chennai, Dec 15: Several eminent personalities and members of associations of fishermen from coastal districts today observed a day long fast here demanding stalling of the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP), for which the second phase of dredging works in Adams Bridge area began on December 11.

More than 600 people today assembled in front of the Chepauk Guest House and observed the fast against the Project.

The fast was inaugurated by Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) General Secretary Thol Thirumavalavan in the presence of Movement Convenors M Jeeva, Jesurethinam and Karuppasamy.

Fishing Peoples Association, Fishing Village Panchayats and representatives of peoples movements from all the coastal districts participated in the fast.

Today's agitation was part of the phase two agitation launched by the fishing people in all coastal districts, the movement convenors said.

Alleging that the SSCP would sound a deathknell for the fishing community and would affect biodiversity, the speakers at the fast venue demanded immediate stalling of the project to protect their livelihood. ''Even after about 18 months of dredging, there was no trace of a canal despite the government's claim that dredging of 8.4 million cubic metres has been completed in the Palk Straits area'', they alleged, The dredging activities in the Adams Bridge area would wreck havoc on the ocean and coastal environment, endangered species and fisheries and rich biodiversity in the area due to turbidity.

The Centre was going ahead with the dredging activites without conducting adequate ocean morphology study and studies to ascertain the sub-surface geology, average wave heights and bathometric studies.

The project envisaged digging of a ship channel that would link the eastern and western coasts of India, helping ships to avoid the present circumnavigation around Sri Lanka and saving 424 nautical 780 km of sailing distance and 30 hours of time.

UNI