Fibre boats seized in Rameswaram; fishermen threaten stir from Monday

Demanding the Fisheries Department officials to immediately release the seized fibre boats, fishermen from Rameswaram announced that if the boats were not released in the next two days, they would resort to agitation from Monday.

Following complaints from traditional fishermen (using country boats and mechanised boats) that many of the high speed fibre boats crossed the IMBL and the Sri Lankan Navy personnel arrested them for poaching. They demanded the Fisheries Department to refrain from issuing tokens and subsidised diesel to fishermen using fibre boats.

Despite repeated pleas to stop fibre boats from using the Palk Straits, when they ventured into the sea without tokens, the traditional fishermen complained about it. “From a meagre five fibre boats, the number had increased to over 50,” they charged. Hence, they urged the authorities to take stern action.

As a result, when the fibre boats were seized by the officials in Rameswaram, the fishermen objected to it.

Following unrest, the officials held peace talks with the fishermen using fibre boats in the presence of Deputy Director Chinnakuppan and Assistant Director Tamil Maran on Thursday. As the talks were not favourable to the fishermen, they left the meeting.

Speaking to reporters, fishermen leader Karl Marx said that they would wait for the next two days for the officials to release the fibre boats. “If they did not release the boats, we will be forced to resort to a series of agitations from Monday. What do we do for our livelihood,” he asked.

However, the officials said that it would not be conducive for operating fibre boats in Rameswaram and hoped the fishermen cooperated by not using fibre boats.