KENDRAPARA: The fear of cyclone ‘Gulab’ forced a large number of marine fishermen to anchor their boats at harbours and jetties in the coastal district on Sunday. Though many had returned to the shore on Saturday following the cyclone warning, fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea in wake of the impending storm.
Additional director of fisheries (Marine) department, Kujang Manas Ranjan Sahoo said many boats had returned to the fishing harbours and jetties on Saturday. Only those boats that ventured into the sea a few days back are returning to shore. “We are warning fishermen through loudspeakers against venturing into the sea. The fisheries department will take action against fishermen who ignore the adverse weather warnings and venture into the sea,” he said
Sources said hundreds of fishing vessels are anchored at the jetties in Kharinashi, Jamboo, Talachua and other places of the district. In September so far, three low pressures have formed over the Bay of Bengal forcing fishermen to halt their activities in the sea for three weeks. President of Odisha Masyajibi Forum Narayan Haldar said, “Now, cyclone Gulab will add to the miseries of fishermen as they won’t be able to venture into the sea. As a result, their livelihood would take a beating again,” he added.
Parikhita Behera of the fishing village Tubi said the continuous bad weather this month has put fishermen in great difficulty. “The Covid-19 crisis coupled with the cyclone and unpredictable weather conditions has hit the livelihood of local marine fishermen. The State government should provide subsidy on diesel to fishermen to mitigate their plight,” demanded Behera.
Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are providing diesel subsidy ranging from `8 to `10 per litre to fishermen. But in Odisha, no such subsidy is available for fishermen who cannot afford to go out to sea anymore because of high fuel cost while the fish prices remain the same, claimed president of Odisha Traditional Fish Workers’ Union Prasana Behera.