Local fishermen, politicians oppose boat training centre in Sulur lake

COIMBATORE: The proposed boat training centre in

Sulur

lake is yet to materialise as some fishermen and a few local politicians in the area are opposed to taking up any developmental activity inside the lake.

This is despite Sea Skills Maritime Academy run by Captain

H Kumar

obtaining all the required permission from the central and state governments, tahsildhar and other panchayat union officials for setting up the centre at a cost of Rs 35 lakh on four acres of Sulur lake.

Only academies recognised by the directorate general of shipping and the shipping ministry are generally given permission to run such a training centre. This academy started the work on setting up a boat platform on the northern side of the Sulur lake near the government boat house to offer professional courses to mariners, wherein they will be trained specially in survival craft and rescue boat training.

“These mariners will be working in various positions in a ship and as per the international maritime organisation it is mandatory for all governments to conduct this course. So, we got all the required permission and began setting up the boat platform. The idea was to set up a simulation-based training centre to help the students get the feeling of a ship,”

Kumar

said.

But

local fishermen

led by a few politicians urged the district collector to cancel the permission, citing that diesel boats would pollute the lake. But experts opined that it wouldn’t cause any pollution.

In 2017, the Sulur munisif court had observed that in the interest of the career of the students, the academy wanted to use just 4 acres out of the 64 acres of the lake from 10am to 2pm. “The right to fishing will not be affected. So the injunction is dismissed,” the order read.

The training will come handy in times of emergency such as fire or floods and this is the rescue arrangement for the people working in ships. “The training cannot be done in the middle of the ocean. Hence, lakes across the country are used for this purpose. Only seven or eight such academies are there in the country, including the ones in Cochin, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai.

When contacted, Arumugham, a former local councillor, refused to comment on the issue. The fishermen were also contacted, but there was no response.

District administration officials told TOI that the lake was leased to a cooperative society for fishing. “But we found that the local fishermen are not involved in fishing. There are many discrepancies and encroachments. So they are worried that if the training institute is set up, they will be exposed. That is why they are raising objection to this,” said a senior official at the collectorate.

Kumar, meanwhile, said they would begin the construction work soon. “We are being threatened constantly and we fear that they may vandalise our property. Our life is also in danger. We hope that the politicians will understand that this is for the students and there will not be any harm to anyone, including the environment,” he said.

City-based activists said the fishermen were often manipulated by local politicians. “We faced a similar problem when development activities were taken up at Kurichi lake and Singanallur lake. District collector needs to look into the issue,” said R Manikandan of Kovai Kulangal Paadhugaapu Amaippu.