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Fishermen, locals worried over Enayam port project impact
COLACHEL (TAMIL NADU), JULY 11:
“Where will we go? We will die here rather than move out,” said S Lanemmal, 63, as she sat
chewing tobacco inside her hut on the beachside at Enayam village in Kanyakumari district,
Tamil Nadu.
She is worried that a mega port project planned here could displace her along with 20,000
others.
There are mixed reactions to the ₹27,000-crore container transhipment project to come up in
the vicinity of the hamlet on the west coast. Fishermen are worried that it will affect their
livelihood while many others expect the port to be a catalyst for economic development.
The Centre recently approved a plan to establish the Enayum port project, to be set up
through an SPV to be promoted by VO Chidambaranar Port Trust, Chennai Port Trust and
Kamarajar Port Ltd.
“Who wants jobs in the port? We are fishermen and want to die as fishermen,” said Anthony
Pillai, 32.Over a dozen of Pillai’s friends playing cards inside a hut joined him in saying they
are currently leading a peaceful life, and would like to continue to do so.
“The project will be a great disaster for the people of this region and will wipe out coastal
villages,” said George Robinson, a fishermen and spokesperson for the Movement Against
Enayam International Container Transhipment project.
Sea erosion
A 6 km breakwater to be constructed as part of the project will cause sea erosion damaging
50 villages spread over 68 km from Nerody to Kanyakumari, he said.
The plan is to reclaim land from the sea to develop port infrastructure. However, a vast area
of land will be required in future for other operations.
Rs. Lal Mohan, Chairman, Conservation of Nature Trust and former Principal Scientist,
ICAR, is worried the breakwater will affect sea current, which is critical for fishing. Nearly 20
per cent of Tamil Nadu’s fishermen live in this district. Over 2 lakh people associated with
fishing — traders to transporters — will lose their jobs, it is feared.
Rajesh Kumar, a DMK MLA representing Killiyur Assembly constituency in which Enayam
village is located, said: “We have been fighting only for a small fishing harbour in Colachel,
not a mega project in this region.”
Feasibility report
Two other MLAs from Kanyakumari recently joined him and 40,000 others in a protest
against the project in Nagercoil, he added.
A Rapid Techno-Economic Feasibility Report by TYPSA-BCG shortlisted Enayam based on
two major advantages — a 20 m draft near the shoreline which will reduce dredging and
maintenance cost and the location being just 14 nautical miles from the Great East-West
shipping route connecting Europe to East Asia. This lane caters to 80 per cent of India’s
current container transhipment cargo and most of East Asia’s trade with Europe.
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