CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in releasing the six Tamil Nadu fishermen who have been detained in a fishing boat in Iran for more than a month.
In his letter, Palaniswami urged Modi to instruct the Ambassador of India in Tehran to provide essential supplies immediately to the poor innocent fishermen and to take legal measures to secure their immediate release.
Five fishermen from Ramanathapuram district and one from Thoothukudi district, who are operating from the fishing base of Dubai in UAE, were detained by Iranian Coast Guard on September 1 and have been taken to Kish Island alleging that they have violated the Iranian Maritime boundaries, the Chief Minister said.
He said these fishermen were reportedly detained in the fishing boat without essential supplies and they did not have access to basic amenities. Further, many of the detained fishermen’s visas are also to expire in a couple of months.
Prolonged incarceration of these fishermen, who went abroad to earn their livelihood, will severely affect the morale and survival of their families and dependents in India, the Chief Minister pointed out.
Meets Governor
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday met Governor Banwarilal Purohit and briefed him about the precautionary measures taken to face the heavy rain alert for the next three days.
This was the first meeting of the Chief Minister with the Governor after the State cabinet recommended the release of seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The Governor is yet to take a decision in the matter. The official release did not say whether the Chief Minister reiterated the State cabinet’s resolution.
Besides, the meeting took place three days ahead of the Chief Minister’s meeting with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on October 8.
Palaniswami is likely to submit a memorandum to Modi regarding the demands of Tamil Nadu during the meeting.
There were high expectations about the meeting since it took place after Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan met the CM at his residence in the morning and later the Governor.