The dispute between the fishermen and the more affluent, non-fishing residents of Thiruvanmaiyur and Besant Nagar has simmered for years, highlighting tensions over land use, development, and livelihoods. Acting upon the complaint from the residents (non-fishers) in the locality, the GCC demolished the temporary constructions made by the fishers of Thiruvanmaiyur Kuppam in June this year. Being less than 40 metres from the coastline, they were termed encroachments. A mainstream news outlet even referred to fishers’ construction as ‘beach robbery,’ emphasising concerns that the illegal construction of houses and pathways could lead to the loss of turtle nesting sites and increase flood risks.
On June 16th this year, fishermen of Thiruvanmaiyur Kuppam staged a protest against the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) for demolishing the structures they had constructed, with a view to rebuilding their houses.
“Any new construction of roads or buildings within a range of 500 metres from the high tide line is a direct violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. Besides, the land in question has also been demarcated as a turtle nesting zone in the 2018 Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) map,” says the residents of Kalakshetra Colony to justify the alleged encroachment.
On the other hand, fishers argue that this was no new construction. “We used to have our huts on the same land until they were destroyed in a fire accident in 2010. The alleged illegal road has also existed for a long time. As people from the fishing community, we have the right to rebuild our houses,” they say.
Legal or not?
Environmental researcher Raju clarifies that the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2011 allows reconstruction and repair works of dwelling units of local communities (especially fishers) as long as they adhere to local town and country planning regulations.
“The real issue is that the approved CZMP has failed to demarcate the living spaces of the fisherfolks,” says Durga Moorthy, a coastal researcher. Neither the 1996 Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) map nor the subsequent 2018 CZMP map demarcated the housing cluster of the fishers. But Durga says that the land in question has been the living space of the communities for generations, and it should have been recognised as a fisherfolk settlement.
“Tagging the fishers of Thiruvanmaiyur Kuppam as ‘encroachers’ or ‘robbers’ is a mockery of history. Thiruvanmaiyur Kupppam has existed since the time of Marudeeswarar temple. Even today, the fishers are honoured at the temple as they are the aborigines of the land. The fishing village pre-dates the city’s existence,” says environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman.
A closer examination of the historical context provides compelling evidence supporting these arguments and the fishers’ claims.
Read more: Fishermen contest charges of encroachment in Thiruvanmiyur
A long history of fighting for their rights
Fire accidents are all too common in fishing hamlets, where houses are typically constructed with thatched materials. Thiruvanmaiyur Kuppam suffered a catastrophe on May 13, 2010, when nearly 350 huts were engulfed by flames.
While no lives were lost, the material damage was immense. Families lost all their cash and belongings, including whatever they had saved through the years. Emergency services, including ambulances and the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS), could not reach the affected area in time due to poor road access.
The fire prompted immediate reaction from the Tamil Nadu assembly. On May 14, 2010, the then Deputy Chief Minister, MK Stalin, promised housing for the affected families, to be funded by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Yet, by June 2013, another fire had destroyed 21 huts, and the housing promised earlier had still not materialised.
As a result, many of the fishers moved into rental homes nearby. “It has been almost 14 years since the fire incident, and over time, many non-fishing residents have moved into Thiruvanmaiyur. Many, including the government, have conveniently forgotten that we once lived on this land,” laments A Subramani, a member of the Sri Vembadi Amman Menevar Panchayat Sabai.
No forum for fishers to address their grievances
Fishing communities hold customary rights to coastal commons, yet these rights remain largely unrecognised by law.
The CRZ Notification, 2011 and a detailed Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) play a significant role as they set the law for what is permissible and what is not, what can be built and what cannot within the coastal regulation zone.
A 2014 report from the Coastal Resource Centre explains that without the proper mapping of areas used by fishers — such as spaces for boat parking, net repairs, or hauling shore seine nets (peria valai) — nothing prevents the government from repurposing those areas for ports or tourism. This means that in the absence of mapping, these lands can be potentially handed over to private entities without consulting the fishers or securing their rights.
This is precisely what has gone wrong in the case of Thiruvanmaiyur Kuppam fishers. “As per the CRZ Notification, 2011, the government has neither recognised and demarcated the housing areas of the fishers nor has it enumerated the number of fishers in the locality. This has prevented us from gaining access to even basic amenities such as electricity, drinking water, underground drainage, or road infrastructure,” notes N Rathinavel, another member of the Sri Vembadi Amman Menevar Panchayat Sabai.
The fishers of Thiruvanmaiyur Kuppam have repeatedly petitioned the government to recognise their housing and livelihood spaces under the CRZ Notification, 2019. Despite this, they continue to face bureaucratic hurdles. In response to the recent demolitions by the GCC, the fishers have filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court, arguing that they are not ‘encroachers’ and that the actions of the GCC threaten their livelihoods.
Read more: Why Chennai fisherfolk oppose the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan
The only other forum for the fishers to raise their grievances — the District Coastal Zone Management Authority (DCZMA) — has also remained inactive.
In February 2024, thirteen years after the release of the CRZ notification 2011 that mandated the representation of local fishing communities in district-level committees, the state government finally included three fishermen as members of the district coastal zone management authority (DCZMA). However, K Bharati, one of the three members, says that the committee has not met even once since its formation.
“If the fishers rebuilding their homes are violating CRZ norms, why hasn’t the government taken action against the numerous bungalows built in violation of the same norms along Chennai’s shoreline?” Bharati questions.
To address the issues of access to basic amenities of the fishing community in Thiruvanmaiyur Kuppam, J Kayalvizhi, Councillor of Ward 179 says that along with the GCC officials she had met with a private consultant to propose a project to bring basic amenities to the fishing hamlet of Thiruvanmaiyur Kuppam. “The project proposal will be forwarded to Anna University to assess the project technically. Works will begin after that,” she says.
However, she added that housing issues were not within her jurisdiction so she forwarded the matter to the Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNCZMA) and the Ministry of Fisheries.
The need for long-term housing solutions for fisherfolk
The CZMP map and plan also present a way out of the housing crisis looming before the fisherfolk. “Fishing communities, particularly in urbanising areas, are caught between a seaward moving urban population and a landward moving sea (either due to climate change or human-induced sea erosion). Under these circumstances, fisherfolk risk being squeezed between an unsafe sea and a hostile industry or urban community,” notes Nityanand Jayaraman.
It has been 33 years since the first CRZ notification (1991) came into effect. “The CZMP map and plan guarantee legal sanction to the long-term housing plans for fisherfolk that the Government is supposed to develop in consultation with the beneficiaries under this law. But no action has been taken on this so far,” says Nityanand
The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has also directed the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) to address the shortcomings in the draft Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs) and ensure long-term housing solutions for coastal communities, in line with the guidelines of the CRZ Notification, 2019.
A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India reveals that between 2015 and 2022, the TNCZMA granted CRZ clearances “incorrectly” to 114 out of 175 projects (65%) without forwarding them to appropriate authorities. The CAG report also criticises the state for failing to involve local traditional coastal communities in DCZMAs, as mandated by the CRZ notification.
Meanwhile, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is preparing for the Chennai Shoreline Renourishment and Revitalisation (CSRR) Project, estimated to cost ₹100 crore. This project aims to enhance public access to open spaces and create a more harmonious beachfront city. However, the fishers now fear that the government will displace them and turn the area into an entertainment hub as part of the CSRR project.
We tried reaching the Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNCZMA) to get their response on the long-term housing plan for fishers but they did not respond.
The fishers do not have space for expansion as all other space has already been occupied by private properties. “The need for their housing is as real as the need for protecting the environment for the turtles. The government could address environmental concerns by regulating the growing footfall at beaches while also securing housing for the fishers, who have legitimate rights to the coastal land they occupy,” suggests Nityanand. He feels other uses by non-fisherfolk can be entertained as long as they do not conflict with the livelihood rights of fisherfolk.