The Hindu Business Line : Ban on fishing at Gangavaram village draws flak

IN TROUBLED WATERS: Traditional fishermen of Gangavaram and Dibbapalem, who have been ordered by the District Collector to stop fishing to facilitate the construction of a private port. - C.V. Subrahmanyam

Visakhapatnam , Aug. 3

THE order issued by the District Collector, Mr Praveen Prakash, this week banning fishing at Dibbapalem and Gangavaram villages to facilitate construction of a private port has come in for widespread criticism.

Traditional fishermen, political parties and NGOs have condemned the move, characterising it as arbitrary and "a step initiated by the district administration at the behest of the consortium building the port".

The two villages in question are the worst hit by the proposed private port at Gangavaram. The ban will affect fishermen from the five villages in the vicinity — Dibbapalem, Gangavaram, Peddapalipalem, Jalaripalipalem and Chinnapalipalem.

Polaraju, a fisherman from Dibbapalem, has said that over 3,000 families in the neighbourhood are dependent on the sea. "The district administration and the local MLA are exerting pressure on us to shift to Appikonda, which is not at all suitable for fishing. Besides, it is full of reefs and the effluents from the NTPC-Simhadri plant are polluting the waters there and reducing the catch," he complained. Mr A.J. Stalin, the local CPI leader, has accused the district administration of acting in haste and imposing the ban without working out a proper resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) package.

"So far the Collector, and the local MLA, Mr T. Gurumurthy Reddy, have not succeeded in bringing the private port officials to the negotiating table. A tripartite agreement should be signed for proper rehabilitation of the fishermen. Otherwise, all such unilateral decisions will be opposed," he said.

"The local MLA and district officials are trying to lure the fishermen with promises of jobs. But such promises do not carry any conviction, as apparently they do not have any say in the construction and management of the private port," he has said.

The Traditional Fisherfolk Forum has in a statement expressed its resolve to mobilise the fisherfolk and oppose the ban.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
AI arm takes up groundhandling at Kozhikode airport

IA's Airbus fleet acquisition cost shoots up

SIA to begin flights from Mumbai

Global Vectra to add 11 copters to its fleet

JNPT, Mumbai port limping back to normalcy

Container vessel Arizona leaves Kochi

Ban on fishing at Gangavaram village draws flak

Kutch Rly project cost shoots up by Rs 100 cr