Fishermen from 10 fishing villages, from Nochikuppam to Srinivasa Puram (Mullikuppam), staged a protest on the Marina Loop Road in Chennai on Thursday (April 3, 2025) demanding that a protected traditional fishing zone be set up in the area. A fishing community leader, Kosu Mani, said the sands, the sea, and the seafront belonged only to the traditional fishermen. “We are artisanal fishermen. We don’t have large trawling boats. We have nowhere to go,” he said.
Another leader, K. Bharathi, said their right to livelihood was being affected due to various project proposals, such as the sea bridge and blue flag beach. “For ages, this road has been part of our seafront. It is where we remove the fish from our nets and sell the day’s catch. The Chennai Corporation laid the road because it was unable to widen Santhome High Road,” he said.
Sekar, of Mullikuppam, said the Santhome High Road should be widened and turned into a two-way. The Chennai Corporation’s decision to declare the Marina Loop Road as a public road must be withdrawn, and this road should not be used to divert traffic, he added.
Kabaddi Maran, another leader, said the lands taken over by the government in the name of constructing houses for fisherfolk should be returned to them. “We have no space for our children. The government must understand that our children also need to be in the waterfront since they too have taken up fishing as their occupation. For generations, fishermen have taken to fishing only.” Traffic on the Marina Loop Road was halted till Thursday afternoon owing to the fishermen’s rally.