The fishermen community on Thursday opposed the water aerodrome project in the Chilika lagoon, a few days after the proposed initiative snowballed into a political game. The fishermen under the aegis of Chilika Mastchyajibee Mahasangha apprehended loss of livelihood of around two lakh fishermen belonging to 150 villages in the districts of Khurda, Puri and Ganjam. They accused both the Union and state governments of trying to destroy the biodiversity of the lagoon, which has been designated as a Ramsar site (wetland of international importance). “A team from the Centre had a discussion with the state government officials regarding the project few months ago. But, one of the state government ministers denied of having any knowledge about the proposal. The lake is not only an important tourist destination, but also a source of livelihood for lakhs of fishermen. In this situation, we demand the state government of initiating steps to stop the project,” said Yudisthira Mohapatra, adviser to the association. The annual catch from the lake is been 12,140 tonnes, while a recent research conducted by the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, had revealed presence of 335 fish species in the lake. It is also a habitat of lakhs of migratory birds and Irrawaddy dolphin a schedule-I animal under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. “If the aerodrome project takes off, it will impact the co system of the lake. We are already suffering because of the large-scale encroachment in the lake area through gherries. The fishermen will be further affected due to the water aerodrome. If the government dose not shelve the idea, we will be forced to stage mass demonstration,” said Haramohan Jena, a fisherman. While several BJD leaders, including MP Tathagat Satpathy, Brahmagiri MLA Sanjay Das Burma and revenue minister Maheswar Mohanty, had opposed the project apprehending threat to the lake’s ecosystem, Opposition BJP had demanded the state government not to oppose it as the project would create employment opportunities for the local population.