Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Traditional Fish Workers’ Union (OTFWU) has opposed the Centre’s Sagarmala project to construct a shipping corridor at 20 nautical miles close to territorial waters.
In a press conference, members of OTFWU on Tuesday claimed that the project will destroy the marine ecosystem of the water bodies.
The members opposed the project citing that it will damage the environment of coastal belts and affect the livelihood of lakhs of fishermen in the State.
“Once the project is complete, the fishermen will not be able to go beyond 15 nautical miles inside the sea. As a result we (fishermen) will not be able to fish in the deep sea following which many of us will lose livelihood,” said OTFWU General Secretary K Alleya.
The Sagarmala Programme is the flagship programme of the Ministry of Shipping to promote port-led development in the country through harnessing India’s 7,500 km long coastline, 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways and strategic location on key international maritime trade routes.