The Centre is keen on having a dedicated shipping corridor on the west coast of India, from Gujarat to Kanyakumari. The koli community, however, is dead against it; fishermen say if huge cargo ships and tourists ships go close to the coast, it will impact fishing negatively, costing lakhs of families their livelihood.

During a huge protest held by city fishermen at Sassoon Docks yesterday, the leader of the community told mid-day that 70 percent of the fish they catch are found between 10 and 35  nautical miles from the coast. He added that if this area is taken up by the shipping corridor, hardly any fishing will be possible there.