Fisher folks from eight coastal States have written an open letter to Prime Minister, seeking immediate shelving of the Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu.

The fisher folks, represented by the National Fisher Folks' Forum (NFF), have also demanded an apology from the Prime Minister for “attacking the dignity of fisher people” especially of Idindakarai. The letter is signed by fisher folks' unions from Goa, Gujarat, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

In an interview published in Science magazine on February 24, the Prime Minster had alleged that the fishing community's protest against the nuclear power plant was “propagated and funded by anti-national interests through international NGOs.”

“A statement such as this from the highest political authority in the country, while being far from the truth, shows the fisher community in poor light', says the letter.

Reminding the Prime Minister of three recent incidents leading to death of fishermen in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, involving international vessels, the fisher folks said, “It is extremely worrying that, apart from remaining silent over such critical issues of citizens' life and livelihood, the Prime Minister has chosen to target the fisher community of Idindakarai.”

Pointing out that the Kudankulam project was not “evolved with the consent of the affected populations,” the letter demands that the project proposal be shelved.

“No exaggerated figures of power production will be enough to compensate for the loss of lives and livelihood of our people,” it says.

Incidentally, the letter was co-drafted by Mr Matanhy Saldanha, the newly-elected Goa Minister and Chairperson of NFF, who passed away this week.

>aditi.n@thehindu.co.in

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