KOCHI: Fishing boat owners also have decided not to cooperate with hartals in future. All-Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association (AKFBOA) members claimed they cannot tolerate hartal any further due to the huge financial loss they suffer.
Joseph Xavier Kalapurakal, general secretary of AKFBOA, said thousands of people depend on fishing for their livelihood. “Seafood is perishable and due to hartal, huge quantity of stock remains stranded in the ports.
Lorries cannot ply due to which fish cannot be transported to distant places. The fishermen depend on the daily catch to feed their families. By conducting hartals, the fishermen and their family members are the worst affected,” he said.
The fishing sector incurs a loss close to Rs 100 crore due to frequent hartals in the state annually. Already due to heavy rain in the monsoon season, the boats could not operate for several weeks this year. “If the boats cannot go for the catch, the loss will run into lakhs of rupees.
We do not support any kind of hartal. People organising the hartal should understand how much people are affected from such mode of protest,” he said.