Fishermen are urging the Tamil Nadu government to drop the plan to build a secretariat on the Foreshore Estate

Representatives of fishermen panchayats who met on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) on the sands of the Marina against the proposed Secretariat at the Foreshore Estate. | Photo credit: M. SRINATH

It was a battle cry that rang out on the sands of Marina on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) as representatives of fishermen panchayats issued an ultimatum to the Tamil Nadu government to abandon the proposal to build the Secretariat-cum-Assembly complex on the Foreshore Estate.

“After selecting the land, the government issued a GO. Even if there is a little movement in this direction (towards construction of the complex), we will not remain silent. We are stakeholders and we have not been consulted in any way. We have no choice but to organize massive nationwide protests against the project,” said K. Bharathi, a community leader.

“The land belongs to the locals”

About 1,000 men and women gathered on the sand on a patch marked with black flags on the Marina. Since everyone signed the register, they were given the opportunity to comment on the problem. Many said the community should not have waited so long to reclaim land that rightfully belonged to the locals.

“Much of the land earmarked for the secretariat belongs to the fishing village of Srinivasapuram /Mullikuppam. We were waiting for the government to build houses for fishermen there. If the government drops the proposal, well and good. We will give some time to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to come back from his journey so that he can rethink his decision,” Mechanith Vijauyan told Pamajlai VR. Panchayat Sabhai.

Another community leader, Kabaddi Maran, said the construction of the secretariat complex would be tantamount to killing all 1,500 fishing families at once. “For security reasons, our lives and livelihoods will be reduced to nothing. We will not be able to step out of our homes or go fishing. While we acknowledge the need for a new secretariat, this is definitely not the place. The anger among the community, especially the youth and women, is palpable. They want immediate action, but we are telling them to be patient because Mr. Vijay has patience at heart.

Published – 15 Sep 2026 22:21 IST