Fishermen of villages in and around Pulicat lake on Tuesday staged a sea blockade, preventing ships from entering or exiting a private port and ship building yard in the area, and demanded pay hikes for 250 of their men working in the establishment. Around 200 boats participated in the blockade.
Chinnapulla of Goonanakuppam said nobody was listening to them, and they had been forced to stage the protest. “We have been resorting to protests since the company has not kept its promise of providing jobs for 1,750 men. Even those who work in the port earn just ₹300 a day after putting in eight hours of hard labour. The women in our homes earn more than us and question the men as to why we earn such low wages,” he said.
Karunakaran of Light House Kuppam said they would continue to hold protests since the company was not responding to their requests. “We can only urge Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to hear our pleas. We have lost our livelihood and don’t even find fish to eat. These companies have led to the erosion of the coastline, leading the fish to keep away due to all the industrial activity. We are not deep sea fishermen,” Mr. Karunakaran said.