Kasarakod fisherfolk ask central panel to stop port project

Don’t destroy our livelihood” — this was Honnavar fisherfolk’s plea to the central government’s appraisal committee which came to asses the potential hazards posed by the 40-metre wide highway proposed to connect Honnavar Port on the Kasarakod beach on Friday.

The Rs 138.12-crore road project has been proposed by the Ports and Inland Water Transport Department. The four-lane road is to connect a port proposed to be built on the edge of a sand flat at the mouth of the Sharavathi river.

Last month, the Union Environment Ministry’s expert appraisal committee for coastal regulation zone projects had called for an inspection after it found fault with the proposal. Among the issues was the lack of justification for building a new road on the seaward side rather than the landward side of the existing village road. The port authority had also failed to provide details of the marine conservation plan.

Video clips of the fisherfolk’s meeting with the panel members showed passionate pleas “not to destroy” livelihoods. Renuka Tandel, president of Kasarakod Fisherfolk and Fish Traders Association, led members of the community to Deepak Arun Apte, chairman of the expert committee, and member secretary H Kharkwal.

“This is the land where generations of my family have lived. My grandfather used to tell stories on how they shifted from Mallukuruva (a village) after the place got submerged, and moved to our current place. They (port authorities) have created several problems by trying to build a road in this fragile area. We have high sea erosion. A road they built has already been washed into the sea. Now, they have laid gravel stones and red soil on a white beach, causing dust pollution,” she said.

Renuka said the fish they put out to dry are turning red and the community is seeing a rise in lung infections. “How can the government approve a project which is destroying our livelihood,” she asked.

Marine biologist Prakash Mesta said there has been a systematic suppression of information. “The four-lane road will destroy sea turtle (Olive Ridley) nesting sites on the Kasarakod beach. Unfortunately, a survey of nesting sites was conducted in the monsoon while the nesting period is between November and March. Similarly, no analysis has been made to assess the stability of the area where the road is proposed,” he said.