Hundreds of fish workers participating in a national protest rally which began at Neerodi in Kanyakumari district on Monday demanded the withdrawal of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on fishing equipment, among other things. Archbishop of the Latin Rite Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram Soosa Pakiam inaugurated the rally jointly organised by the National Fishworkers Forum, Coastal Action Network, People’s Movement Against Enayam International Container Transshipment Terminal, Aazhkadal Meenpidi Thozhilaalar Sangham, Vangakadal Meenpidi Thozhilaalar Sangham, Ramanathapuram Fishworkers Trade Union, National Alliance of People’s Movement, and People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy. The fishers opposed the construction of a container terminal at Enayam and the move to amend the Coastal Regulation Zone to benefit the tourism and business lobbies. In his address, the Archbishop said the sea, coast and marine resources belonged to fishworkers and it was their duty and right to protect and preserve it. He said that no one should be allowed to tamper with it in the name of development.