The Madras high court has restrained authorities from banning fishing in and around Pulicat and Ennore for 15 to 20 days when rockets are launched from Sriharikota.
A division bench comprising Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Justice K.K. Sasidharan granted the interim injunction on a petition filed by the South Indian Fishermen Federation (SIFF).
The petitioner said that ever since the Sriharikota spaceport started functioning, the livelihood of fishermen living in the area had been under threat.
Whenever a rocket was kept on standby or a countdown begins, the authorities impose a ban on fishing for about 15 to 20 days from Ennore to Sriharikotta terming these areas as danger zone. The ban is imposed through a circular and sometimes it is extended by another 10 days, said the petitioner.
During this time, the families of fisher folk had to starve. Though they approached the Tiruvallur collector seeking compensation, authorities have not taken any action so far, said the SIFF. Tamil Nadu has 950 km of coastline which has 526 hamlets. Of this, 16 were in Pulicat and 13 were in Ennore. All these villages depend upon fishing. Pulicat fishermen go for fishing from Kattupalli to Sriharikota covering 25 to 30 nautical miles from south to north, where as Ennore fishermen go from east of Ennore to Pulicat or sometimes up to Sriharikota.
The SIFF also sought a direction to the authorities to pay compensation to its members when a ban is imposed on fishing to enable rocket launching from Sriharikota.