The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Heated exchanges at Pudukottai hearing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 15, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Heated exchanges at Pudukottai hearing

By R. Rajaram

The Pudukottai Collector, Jatindranath Swain, pleading for calm at the public hearing on Sethusamudram project in Pudukottai on Tuesday. — Photo: M. Moorthy

PUDUKOTTAI, SEPT. 14. A public hearing on the multicrore Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project here today was marked by heated exchanges between representatives of political parties and fishermen. A section of the fishermen staged a walkout.

Cadres of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Congress and the Communist Party of India opposed the presence of "outsiders" at the meeting presided over by the District Collector, Jatindranath Swain.

The hearing in Pudukottai, a coastal district with a sizable fishermen population, was organised by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to give the community an opportunity to air its views on the project.

The meeting began with N. K. Raghupathy, Chairman, Tuticorin Port Trust, nodal agency for implementing the project, making a detailed presentation on the benefits and an environment management plan.

Chaos

There was chaos when the DMK district secretary, Periyannan Arasu, alleged that certain vested interests were trying to stall the project. Mr. Arasu wanted the "outsiders" in the hall to leave immediately. The DMK, the Congress, the MDMK and the CPI cadres were on their feet, wanting to know the identity of the "outsiders". The Collector appealed for calm and came out his seat to set things in order. A few policemen joined him to pacify the agitators.

Normality was restored but trouble started again after a fisherman from Jagadapattinam, S. Kuppusamy, claimed that the project, if implemented, would destroy coral reefs, affecting the lives of lakhs of fishermen. He alleged that the project would benefit industrialists and businessmen and not the poor.

M. Kannan, a fisherman from Manamelkudi, alleged that the Government was ignoring the negative impact of the scheme. His comment that political leaders were vying with one another to stake claim for the project evoked stiff opposition from the cadres of the parties.

Heated exchanges were witnessed between the fishermen and the political representatives. Upset at the happenings, the fishermen walked out.

Confusion reigned when a member of a non-governmental organisation tried to air her views in support of the fishermen and the party cadres opposed her action. When she presented a memorandum to the Collector, a participant, who was later removed from the meeting by the police, snatched it away.

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