KENDRAPARA: The Fisheries department has imposed a ban on marine fishing for two days on July 17 and 18 due to DRDO’s missile tests at the Integrated Test Ranges (ITR) at Chandipur in Balasore district and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Bhadrak district for security reasons.
The ban will be in effect in coastal districts including Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur.
Assistant fisheries officer of Paradip Bijay Kar said, an awareness drive has been launched to keep marine fishermen away from the sea and fishing vessels to return to fishing jetties and harbours. “The fishermen who are on voyages have been asked to return to coast by July 16. We are warning through loudspeakers against venturing into the sea. Strict action will be taken against those ignoring the warnings,” he added.
Fishermen, however, felt it would impact them. Ranjit Mandal, a fisherman from Kendrapara said, “The community just came out of the two month breeding season ban from April 15 to June 14. Bad weather and strong winds had already forced boats to anchor for over 10 days in June-July. The two-day ban will add to our income loss during this peak season,” he added.