The National Fish workers' Forum (NFF) today called upon the Central government to "totally abandon" the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project (SSCP) in the larger interest of protecting the livelihood of more than five lakh fishermen.
The announcement of the Union Surface Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari yesterday that the project would be implemented without demolishing the "Ram Sethu" had dealt a 'rude shock' to the fishermen of the State, environmentalists, environmental experts, social activists among others, Chairman of the NFF, M Ilango said in a release.
Ilango said that already oceanographers and experts had pointed out that rare coastal species were in plenty and if the project was executed would hit them and the livelihood sources of more than five lakh fishermen spread over Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin blocks.
"We condemn the project with pain in heart as public money would be used with serious devastation of the environment and also by extinguishing the rare species in the sea bed", he said.
Ilango appealed to the Prime Minister to take this into consideration and drop the project once and for all.
