The National Fisherfolk Forum has urged the Puducherry government to withhold the environmental clearance given to the proposed master plan of Karaikal Port, till the concerns of fishermen in the region are addressed.

In a letter to the Chief Secretary, District Collector-cum-District Magistrate, Karaikal, Regional Director, Central Pollution Control Board, and other concerned agencies, chairman of the forum and former MLA M. Ilango said the fishermen community in Karaikal and Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu were concerned about the impact of further development of the port.

The draft of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) had stated that the project was only at the public hearing stage. Therefore, the concerns of the fishermen should be examined by the competent authorities before any decision on the EIA was taken.

“The official terms of reference record identifies the need to assess the impact of port construction on fishing activity and to conduct a socio-impact assessment of the fishermen community with a sustainable development plan. We do not oppose development as such. Our objection in on an EIA containing material inconsistencies, outdated legal references, insufficient independent verification, and inadequate treatment of fishing community livelihood risks,” the letter said.

The draft of the EIA relied on the CRZ notification, 2011, for its CRZ compatibility discussion. The objection was that the report must clearly demonstrate compliance with the currently applicable CRZ framework, including CRZ notification, 2019 and subsequent applicable amendment/orders, rather than relying on an older notification, the letter said.