KSSP warns Mission Samudra threatens livelihoods of traditional fishermen

Thrissur The Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) has urged the State government to reconsider Mission Samudra and the proposed Maritime Board Amendment Bill, warning that the initiatives could undermine traditional fishing livelihoods, facilitate corporate control over coastal resources and threaten fragile marine ecosystems. In a statement, KSSP general secretary V. Manoj Kumar and president C.

Ramakrishnan alleged that Mission Samudra, the State’s version of the Union government’s Blue Economy policy, sought to transform Keralam into a port-centric development hub through private participation. The project envisages the development of 18 minor ports, improved connectivity with major ports such as Vizhinjam, Kochi and Vallarpadam, and the establishment of shipbuilding, repair and breaking facilities.

Maritime tourism, a black sand corridor for mineral extraction and the development of Alappuzha as a Blue Economy hub are also proposed. The parishad expressed concern that the proposed amendments would vest sweeping powers in the Maritime Board, including the creation of a land bank, a Port Area Development Authority and an enforcement wing with police-like powers. Its authority to acquire company shares and lease land for extended periods could turn the board into an instrument for transferring coastal resources to private interests, the signatories warned.

Pointing out that beaches are the principal workplaces of traditional fisherfolk in Keralam’s 222 marine fishing villages, the KSSP said the proposed legislation could undermine their customary rights over these common spaces used for landing catches, marketing fish, storing boats and nets, and drying fish. It also criticised the project for failing to address the sustainability of Kerala’s annual marine fish catch of around six lakh tonnes or assess the ecological impact of large-scale coastal construction.

The parishad demanded participatory coastal-use mapping, legal protection of traditional fishing rights and safeguards against displacement. It also called for beach restoration, environmentally sustainable port development, protection of traditional fishing routes, and safe housing for coastal communities in the face of climate change. Further, it demanded that coastal tourism initiatives incorporate fisherfolk through models such as pesca tourism and that Mission Samudra projects receive the consent of local self-government institutions.

The KSSP urged the government to ensure that coastal development does not come at the expense of fishing communities’ livelihoods, customary rights and environmental security.