Fisherfolk in and around Ennore held a demonstration on Thursday, demanding permanent jobs for members of the fishing community and also the dredging of the Ennore creek, to revive their declining livelihoods.
In a show of strength, over 500 fishers gathered to protest against the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (TANTRANSCO) and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) for constructing a power transmission tower in the Ennore backwaters and dumping construction debris in the river.
The demonstration was led by fisherfolk from eight hamlets — Ennorekuppam, Nettukuppam, Mugathwarakuppam, Thazhankuppam, Sivanpadaiveethikuppam, Periyakuppam, and Chinnakuppam — and members of fisher associations from Kovalam, Pazhaverkadu, Thiruvanmaiyur and Besant Nagar.
The fishermen allege that TANTRANSCO has illegally encroached upon 40 acres of Kosasthalaiyar and its backwaters, including mangroves. Approval for the towers was obtained by showing what are fishing grounds, as a canal, they say.
“Despite 75 years of Independence, why do we still have to struggle for our livelihoods?” asks a resident of Nettukuppam. The fishers demanded talks with higher authorities as even after meeting the district collector, the matter has not progressed.
A week ago, on July 26, 2023, the fishers had staged a silent protest in their boats around the construction site of the transmission towers demanding that the debris dumped into the water be removed. Subsequently, they met the Tiruvallur District Collector on July 29 and made three requests: to provide the people of Ennore with permanent jobs, dredge the river, and use Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for the betterment of Ennore.
“The authorities are not willing to give us jobs but our livelihoods have been destroyed by the power plants. Earlier, the yield in these backwaters used to fetch us at least ₹500 a day but now there is no catch, whatever we get is toxic, and when the catch is taken to the markets, people don’t buy it, saying Ennore fish is bad,” says Venkatesan, a fisher from Ennorekuppam.
