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The
Hindu Sunday on 19.06.05
“No
displacement of fishermen, core issues clarified”
MADURAI: Fishing activity in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait
will not be affected at all due to the implementation of the
Sethusamudram channel project, the Union Minister for Shipping,
T.R. Baalu, said on Saturday.
Speaking
to the media here, Mr. Baalu said all good projects faced
opposition. All the core issues concerning fishermen had been
clarified through public hearings conducted in all coastal
districts. Refuting charges that the meetings were held
“hastily” and the view of the stakeholders were not properly
looked into, he said, “in some districts the meetings were
held thrice.”
Mr.
Baalu said: “Still I am and my officials are open to any kind
of discussion. We are ready to clarify any genuine doubts.”
There would be no displacement of fishermen due to the
implementation of the project and Rs. 60 crores had been
allotted from the project cost exclusively for safeguarding the
welfare of the fishing community.
“We
could not imagine having four to five new fishing harbours (as
part if the project) in the State otherwise.” Mr. Baalu added.
Stating
that no political party in Tamil Nadu was objecting to the
channel, he said, “ if somebody
tries to instigate and exploit the fishermen, they will not
succeed.”
Allaying
fear that the turbidity generated due to dredging work would
affect breeding of fishes, he said dredging had been undertaken
in Suez and Panama canals without any such negative impact.
“We have been carrying out periodical dredging at the
Tuticorin harbour for maintenance of depth,” he said.
Turbidity would settle down automatically.
Stating
that the elected representatives of people had the
responsibility to safeguard the welfare of the fishing
community, he said he himself came from a family involved in
fishing. “If they do not have faith in the Union Ministers of
Tamil Nadu, I wonder, whom they [the fishing community] would
believe in,” the Minister said.
Asked
whether a “no-objection” from the Tamil Nadu pollution
Control Board was a pre-requisite to implement the project, he
said, “as per the Statue, there I no necessity to get
no-objection from any of the State Governments for this type of
work.”
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