Protest against proposed expressways

CHENNAI: Over 200 people, including residents of Besant Nagar, fisherfolk and enviornmentalists, fasted on Sunday in protest against the proposed elevated expressways. The protest, organised by Save Chennai Beaches and Reclaim Our Beaches movements, had over 250 people from seven countries supporting it online.
"The proposed elevated expressway and the beach express will displace more than 10,000 fisherfolk.The whole city is with the fishermen community. These proposed projects should not be allowed," said Radha Rajagopalan, a resident of Besant Nagar, who took part in the protest.
Nityanand Jayaraman, enviornmentalist and one of the organisers of Save Chennai Beaches campaign said the protest evoked a warm response from residents. "A good number of families have come foreward to extend their support to fisherfolk. Though construction along the beaches was prohibited by the Coastal Regulation Zone notification in 1991, it was later changed by the ministry of enviornment to justify these constructions," said Nityanand.
"So we decided to register our protest by skipping the three meals. The project will come over the nesting grounds of the Olive Ridley sea turtles and many other endangered species, and will wipe them away from our coastline," he added.
All three elevated highway projects -- including the beach expressway, Port-Maduravoyal expressway and the high speed corridor over the Adyar river -- are facing protests from sections of urban residents.
The protestors, quoting minister for enviornment and forests Jairam Ramesh, said the expressways cannot be equated to roads-on-stilts, which is permissible under the Coastal Regulation Zone notification 2011.