Jana Sena Party chief K. Pawan Kalyan on Monday appealed to all the sects of fisherfolk to be united to fight against the destructive development policies of the State government for their sustainable livelihood on the Andhra Pradesh coast.
On Monday, Mr. Pawan Kalyan and JSP Political Affairs Committee (PAC) Chairman Nadendla Manohar inspected the Etimoga fisherfolk area on boats as part of the Varahi yatra in Kakinada. They inquired about the challenges of the fisherfolk.
Addressing the gathering of fisherfolk, said that unity among all the sects of fisherfolk and coastal communities was the need of the hour to fight against the coastal projects that would deprive the livelihood for the fisherfolk. The State government had adopted the destructive development policies in the name of coastal corridors, he alleged.
Reacting to the loss of livelihood due to ongoing oil exploration activities, Mr. Pawan assured to hold talks with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and the Reliance Group to address the grievances of the fisherfolk pertaining to their livelihood.
“Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had promised to scrap the proposed bulk drug project proposed by the Divis group in a run-up to the 2019 elections. However, he has welcomed it after he was voted to power and brought in more groups for setting up the hazardous projects on the Kakinada coast”, alleged Mr. Pawan.
Reacting to the livelihood options sought by the fisherfolk, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said the 974-km coastline of Andhra Pradesh should be equipped with fish landing centres and jetties to encourage marine fishing activity. If it was provided, the migration to the west coast could be prevented. However, no concrete attempt had been made to control the migration of fisherfolk in Andhra Pradesh, he said.
“The fisherfolk has the right to live on the sea. The existing environmental laws will not allow any hazardous projects if they are strictly implemented”, said Mr. Pawan.
