KOCHI: The High Court on Wednesday criticised the Central Government for its failure to file a report on the loss suffered on account of the implementation of the Letter of Permit (LoP) scheme. The court issued the order on a petition filed by M K Salim of Kollam, seeking to stop the practice of transhipment of catch by licensed Indian trawlers operating in the high sea to US trawler ships or bunkers in the nearby ports of Maldives, Sri Lanka, and other southeast Asian ports.
P Paul Pandian, Fisheries Development Commissioner, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Department of Fisheries, was present before the High Court. T
he court expressed its displeasure over the delay in filing the report and orally observed that sitting in a top position in New Delhi does not make a man above the law. His counsel assured the High Court that the report would be filed on Wednesday itself.