Fisherwomen under the aegis of the SEWA Union took out a Secretariat march and dharna here on Tuesday demanding stoppage of Vizhinjam port construction. The march, against the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections, was aimed at bringing the problems faced by the fisherwomen and their families to the attention of the candidates and initiating discussions on them. Inaugurating the dharna, SEWA Union secretary Sonia George said despite the prolonged protests against Vizhinjam port, no political parties or groups had expressed their clear support for the people’s cause. The initial hopes from the port were development and improvement in the lives of the coastal people, but with the construction work under way, there was a lot of apprehension about the project. The women feared that the sea, the fish wealth, their livelihood, and their way of life were in for an upheaval. Rough sea The port work had destroyed the marine ecosystem, resulting in a sharp drop in the catch. The piling work had led to cracks in houses, making them uninhabitable. The sea had become rough, leading to accidents at sea. Dredging for the port was causing coastal erosion from Poonthura to Veli. Vizhinjam would no longer be safe for fishermen to set out to sea. The project, Ms. George said, would affect fisherwomen the most. Wrong policies of successive governments that focussed on rehabilitation of the coastal people instead on reviving the fish and other natural wealth of the sea had to be questioned, she said. No-fishing zones She spoke of concerns about construction of an airport runway at sea and of traditional fishing areas such as Adimalathura being demarcated as no-fishing zone to facilitate port tourism. The fisherwomen would continue to submit their demands to the candidates when they arrived for campaigning, she said.