The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : "New housing scheme guarantees safety at the cost of livelihood"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

"New housing scheme guarantees safety at the cost of livelihood"

Staff Reporter

Plan to build 10,000 more tenements for tsunami-hit fishermen will keep them away from beaches The focus should be on "beach-based" and not "harbour-based fishing," says Thomas Kocherry

LIVELIHOOD ISSUES: Members of the Coastal yatra for livelihood rights of the Coastal Communities and unorganised workers take out a rally in Chennai on Monday. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: There should be an organic link between housing and fishing when it comes to tsunami rehabilitation, said Thomas Kocherry of World Forum of Fisher People here on Monday.

Mr. Kocherry, who was in the city as part of a rally organised by `Coastal yatra for livelihood rights of the coastal communities and unorganised workers,' said the latest Government announcement to build 10,000 more tenements for tsunami-affected persons in Chennai would keep fisherfolk away from beaches and their livelihood.

"They are destroying livelihood and talking about safety," he said.

According to him, the focus should be on "beach-based" and not "harbour-based fishing."

The general secretary of Unorganised Workers Federation, R. Geetha, said restoration of livelihood was delayed because compensation was not distributed in an equitable manner.

Discrimination

Fish vending was not recognised as a vital economic activity and this led to discrimination in providing compensation to women. The unorganised sector consisting carpenters, construction workers and cobblers also had gone unnoticed, she said.

Instead, tsunami was being used as an "excuse" to evict people in the name of rehabilitation, added Ms. Geetha.

Memorandum to Chief Minister

Representatives of the Coastal Campaign, which started from Vedaranyam on May 21, on Monday presented a memorandum consisting 12 demands to the Chief Minister.

The demands included, immediate livelihood assistance to restore fishing and vending, permanent housing at nearby locations and prevention of aquaculture farming in coastal areas.

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