The Tamil Nadu government has decided to build the Secretariat in Pattinapakkam, right opposite the Chief Minister’s office. An official order has also been issued regarding the preparation of a detailed project report for the new Secretariat. In this situation, fishermen have raised a banner of protest, saying that the Secretariat should not be built in Pattinapakkam.

Fisherfolk from villages stretching from Ennore to Mahabalipuram gathered at Pattinapakkam today, hoisted black flags, and are protesting against the government. Representatives of fishermen’s associations from across Tamil Nadu also took part in the protest and expressed their support.
The new Secretariat being built by the sea, opposite the Chief Minister’s office, has deeply angered the fishermen. If one stands on the beach today and looks at the place where the fishermen protested, the protest tent with black flags will be visible on the left, and the Chief Minister’s office in the multi-storey building will be visible on the right, all within the same frame.

This is also one of the reasons the fishermen are angry. “Wasn’t there any land in Guindy or Koyambedu to build the Secretariat? Just because some astrologer said so, should they build it facing the sea and strike at the fishermen’s stomachs?” the fishermen speaking at the protest fume.
'In the 1980s, M.G.R. took action against us in the name of beautifying the beach. We took to the streets and fought relentlessly. The police unleashed repression. M.G.R.’s police fired 17 rounds at the fishermen. Seven fishermen were shot dead. Even then, we fought bravely and won. We will fight against this new Secretariat with the same determination. Our community has a vote bank of more than 10%. Vijay should not make us his enemies,' they say in anger.

The protest tent was filled with fisherwomen. We spoke to them. ''It feels like having a spell cast without paying for it. We voted for TVK wanting change. Vijay is interfering with the very livelihood of fishermen. My brother and younger brother, our whole family, are seafarers. They go to the sea, catch fish, and we spread it out on the shore and sell it. This sea is everything to us. If they bring the headquarters here, they will think of removing us from here. Our settlements themselves are lying in ruins. First, fix that for us.

“In the film Shuraa, he played a fisherman, a friend of fishermen. He would fight for the fishing community to get houses. But in real life, why is he hitting fishermen in the stomach like this?” said a woman named Sagayam from Pattinapakkam.
Fisherwoman Shalini, who says she is going to put up posters saying that the constituency’s TVK MLA and minister Venkataramanan is missing, said, “We are coming together and fighting so that the new Secretariat should not be built on our land. Our livelihood depends on this sea. When court judges pass through this area, they wanted to remove our shops because they felt they were being inconvenienced. We have fought for that very reason. Now, if the Secretariat comes here, they will destroy our livelihood itself in the name of security.”

Moreover, that place is for our residences. The existing houses we live in are already dilapidated and unfit for living. Just two days ago, a residential building collapsed and one person was seriously injured. Even our basic needs are not properly met here. No rulers have paid any attention to that. The people who have governed us so far have deceived us. I told our village people to vote for TVK, saying it would be a change, and made them vote for TVK. Now I feel ashamed for having voted for TVK.
“Is it fair for the Parandur farmers to get justice while we don’t? Even after all these protests, this constituency’s MLA Venkataramanan has not come to see us. He came only to ask for votes. After winning, we haven’t seen him at all. We are going to put up posters saying we can’t find him,” said Shalini from the Nambikkai Nagar fishing village panchayat.
'Just look around this area where we live. All around, it is like a sewer. In 1965, they built us a building to live in. That entire building is in a state of collapse. The staircase collapsed, and my younger brother is in the hospital. No ruler has done anything for us. Now Vijay is also trying to plunder our place. They use us for votes and then want to throw us away like garbage. We will not give up; we will fight,' says Sharmila, a fisherwoman.

'I was born right here in Pattinapakkam in 1963. This sea and this beach are our livelihood. Even now, look—many fishermen without houses still live right on the beach. It is on this beach that we park our boats. It is here that we weave our nets. Our fishermen sit on the beach all night, watching to see whether there is mappu (the presence of fish). As soon as mappu is spotted, they go into the sea. If you can, please do some basic things to improve our livelihood. Don’t bring the Secretariat here and trouble us even more,' says an elderly fisherwoman.
What response does Chief Minister Vijay have to the fishermen's outrage?
