Fishing hamlet residents to show black flags to Karunanidhi

By G Saravanan
Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on July 28, 2010:

CHENNAI: Dejected over the State government's unfulfilled promise, fishermen living in 15 hamlets near Kattupalli have planned the show black flags to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi during his visit to launch the desalination plant at Minjur on July 31.
"We have lost our livelihood after the private companies swindled hundreds of acres, earlier used by us for fishingrelated activities, for their development. The promise of jobs to locals still exists only on paper even after years," said Ethiraj, a fisherman from Arangamkuppam, one of the biggest hamlets in the locality.
They had stopped going into the sea since Sunday to register their protest and seek the CM's attention to their plight. "We want the CM to intervene and improve our livelihood," appealed Nirmala, a first generation learner and a class six student from Konankuppam.
The 15 fishing hamlets, including Korankuppam, Sattankuppam, Vairamkuppam, Light House Nadukuppam, Sempazhipallikuppam, Kunankuppam, Karimanal, Nakkutharavu, Pettai and Thirumalai Nagar, are located along the coast in North Chennai near Ennore.
In the last two years, more than seven private companies (two desalination facilities and three power projects) have started their units and all of them depend on seawater for their facilities. More than 12,000 fishermen live in these fishing hamlets and about 2,000 men were engaged in traditional fishing at Ennore creek and Palaverkadu using catamarans.