Worli fisher folk vow to shun polls

Mumbai: Fishermen from Worli have decided to boycott the Lok Sabha elections to protest the coastal road. They have asserted that despite independent studies claiming that the Coastal Road project will cause damage to the rocky shores and harm artisanal fishing activities, no political parties have come forward to support the community.  

While some of the fishermen have pasted banners in areas of Worli village to urge the villagers to boycott voting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Dadar police on Friday cracked down on these areas and directed the fishermen to remove the posters. They stated that it was a violation of the model code of conduct during elections.  

Fishermen believe that none of the political parties have taken the community into confidence that they will work for the fishermen’s interest.

“We have been voting for political parties thinking that they will work for us, but with projects like coastal road, they are snatching our livelihood as well. There have been reports by experts highlighting that the project will impact our fishing areas but the reclamation work at Worli and Napean Sea road has started. We have decided not to vote for anybody,” said Nitesh Patil, a fisherman from Worli Koli-wada. According to the fishing community, the-re are more than 2,000 fishermen and women fish sellers in Worli.