Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Fishermen’s federation opposes reef project

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation has protested against the construction of an artificial reef at Kovalam.

A press note quoting president of the federation T. Peter said the State government had gone back on its commitment to hold detailed discussions with the fisherfolk before starting work on the project.

“They have chosen to go ahead, ignoring the objections and apprehensions raised by us. We fear that the project being executed by a company based in New Zealand will affect our livelihood,” it said.

“We had expressed our reservations at a meeting convened by the District Collector earlier this month,” Mr. Peter said. “Officials from the departments of Tourism and Harbour Engineering and representatives of the New Zealand- based company maintained that the construction of the reef, though primarily meant to benefit tourism, will not harm fishing activities along the coast. But we are not convinced. At the meeting, we asked the government to shift the project at least two km away from the beach.”

Mr. Peter said the funds earmarked for tsunami rehabilitation were being diverted for tourism development. The fishermen feared that the geo-textile bags used for the construction of the artificial reef would affect the traditional method of shoreseine fishing popular in the Kovalam area. They pointed out that many of the beaches in and around Kovalam were out of bounds for fishermen because they were demarcated for tourism.

“The construction of the reef will open up more areas for tourism, restricting fishermen further and displacing them,” Mr. Peter said.

Mr. Peter said the success of artificial reefs constructed elsewhere was still a contentious issue. “Why is it not being tried out in Alapad which faced the worst tsunami effect in Kerala and still has major sea-erosion problems?” he asked.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Communist party anniversary fete
Plea to frame convention on copyrights
New tool to help traders
Kalan Prize for folklore expert
‘Four Plus’ drive against contagious diseases
Price rise: State seeks package
‘Handle wild animals with composure’
Shortage of trained staff may hit resurvey work
Banks keep lending targets
Second Technolodge operational
Speaker’s plea
Fishermen’s federation opposes reef project
Plamoodu junction to be redesigned
Thiruvananthapuram Today

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu