KOCHI: A meeting of traditional fishermen and mechanised fishing boat operators held in Kochi on Tuesday decided to launch a statewide agitation demanding steps to protect their livelihood. “The meeting decided to give a fitting reply to political parties who ignore the rights of the fishers through the ballot. The decision is to cast our vote against political parties adopting anti-fishermen policies,” said All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalappurackal.
The meeting, attended by representatives of 34 organisations, formed the Fishing Sector Protection Committee and elected All Kerala Dheevara Sabha general secretary V Dinakaran as its president. Kerala Latin Catholic Association president Sherry J Thomas will be the secretary and Joseph Xavier the vice-president.
The committee will organise meetings in all districts to sensitise the community about their burning issues.
The first meeting will be held at the Bishop House in Thiruvananthapuram on September 15, said Joseph. As part of the second phase, meetings will be held in every fishing village to create awareness among the fishers about their rights.
The demands include protection of livelihood, steps to stop mineral sand mining along the Kerala coast and permanent solutions to the issues faced by fishers due to development projects.
Fishermen, whose land has been acquired for constructing coastal highway should be provided compensation similar to the amount provided by the National Highways Authority of India, he said.