CHENNAI: Madras High Court has directed the TN government to take steps to identify turtle breeding area and ban fishing by motorised vessels, trawlers and those using mechanized fishing techniques up to 20 km in the Bay of Bengal.
The first bench of Chief Justice SK Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan gave the direction while passing further orders on a suo-motu PIL, on Thursday.
On the issue raised earlier by advocate T Mohan, appointed as amicus curie to assist the court in this matter, with regard to special nets, it is stated that CIFT was not in a position to manufacture and supply the nets having a provision for the turtles to escape, in large numbers. But the manufacture could be entrusted to some third party under the technical support of the CIFT.
In this behalf, it was stated, that an expert committee is being constituted and some more time was required. And the bench said the expert committee be constituted as expeditiously as possible.
The Assistant Solicitor General submited that in the State of Orissa, the turtle breeding area has been identified and a GO issued prohibiting fishing by motorised vessels, trawlers and those using mechanized fishing techniques, up to 20 km. The Assistant Solicitor General also produced a copy of the aforesaid notification. “It is, thus, suggested that a similar notification is required from the State government under the provisions of TN Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1983 to enable the coast guard to carry out its task. This aspect should also be attended to and placed before this court,” the bench said and posted the matter for further hearing to September 29.
Election of DMK MLA challenged
Chennai: Election of DMK candidate R Sakkarapani from Oddanchatram Assembly constituency has been challenged by a local voter, in Madras High Court, on Thursday. Sakkarapani, who had secured 1,21,715 votes in the May 16 Assembly election was declared elected by the Returning Officer. His victory margin was 65,727 votes. In his election petition, K Karuppasamy of Akkaraipatti alleged that the returned candidate had indulged in bribing voters and tried back door methods to win the election. He had suppressed certain facts in Form 26, while filing the nomination papers, which were incomplete, petitioner contended and sought to declare the election of Sakkarapani as void. When the matter came up for hearing, Justice MV Muralidharan ordered notice to the authorities concerned, returnable in four weeks. The judge also ordered notice on a petition from Kumaravel of the DMK, who challenged the election of AINR Congress candidate SV Sugumaran from Mangalam Assembly constituency in Puducherry.