Surat: Fisherfolk residing in the coastal areas of Surat would organise a boat rally next week, to protest dredging in the sea by the company, Essar.
Allegedly, Essar illegally captured hundreds of acres of villagers' land.
The agitating villagers also alleged that without their knowledge, Essar was carrying out dredging activity in the coastal waters to deepen the sea by 40-50 feet since the past few months.
The company had employed heavy machinery to allow heavy vessels carrying iron blocks and ore to enter the area without any difficulty.
The villagers also complained that heavy silt had been deposited along the coastal waters due to continuous dredging.
They said the fishing activity of over 3,000 fishermen residing in the area had been affected badly.
A villager said that at the moment, 250-300 feet of dredging work was already been done in a 5-km-area of the sea, adding that the activity was completely illegal.
He said that due to the dredging, local fisherfolk had to park their boats 3 km away from the village.
The villagers of the coastal areas have submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Narendra Modi demanding action against the company.
They also alleged that the impact of the immense dredging could be seen on the Tapi river, whose water level has depleted to 6 feet from 35 feet. They added that the waters have been dirtied considerably, as well.
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