Bringing an end to a long standoff, the Chennai Port Trust and fishermen of Kasimedu reached an agreement on widening the 1.6-km road in the fishing harbour as part of the Ennore Manali Road Improvement Project (EMRIP).
While fishermen agreed to cooperate in the road widening, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would lay interior roads in the harbour besides ensuring free movement of fishermen.
The agreement among various stakeholders of the EMRIP including police, NHAI, port trust and fishermen was reached at a meeting chaired by Chennai Collector S. Jayandhi at the Collectorate on Saturday.
An official release from the collectorate said that the collector had asked officials and the fisherfolk to cooperate in expediting the project.
In the consultation meeting, it was also decided to extend the existing auction platform on the seaside for taking over the shops and the street adjacent to it for widening works. Steps would be taken within 45 days to get CRZ clearance in this regard. The Port Trust has also agreed to dredge the area beneath the new auction platform in a month’s time.
The release said that a seven-meter wide service road would be laid along with the main carriageway for the exclusive use of fishermen. A five-meter wide temporary road would be laid to ensure that works of fishermen were not affected due to road widening works. Besides, facilities like toilets, drinking water, roads, streetlights and health care facilities would be provided to the fishermen.