Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Minority Affairs George Kurian visited the Muthalapozhi harbour in Thiruvananthapuram amid protest from Congress workers. The protesters blocked the ministry’s vehicle alleging that the meeting was a farce without any concrete decision to protect the life of the fishermen. The police removed the blockade using force.
The minister visited the site accompanied by BJP leader V Muraleedharan and officials from the harbour engineering department. They also met the family of Victor, a fisherman who died in a sea accident. The minister is expected to meet the state fisheries minister Saji Cherian in the evening.
The visit came at a time when the fishermen had been complaining about delays in implementing the measures to ensure their safety. The fishermen's community expressed their disappointment over the government for not acting on the seven promises made on the issue, in July last year.
The sea accidents at the mouth of the estuary have become a recurring incident ever since the breakwater was commissioned. The fishermen blamed inadequate dredging and unscientific construction of the fishing harbour for the recurring accidents.
The two breakwaters constructed to facilitate the harbour have become a death knell for the fishermen. Over 60 fishermen lost their lives in boat accidents in the channel since 2015. The last major accident was in August 2022 when five fishermen lost their lives and the body of one of them remains untraced. Besides losing lives, the frequent accidents also cause severe damage to the boats.
The fishermen demanded that the sand formation at the mouth of the breakwaters be dredged out for the smooth passage of boats. When there is sand formation the boats either hit the dunes and lose control or the waves hitting the dunes slam the boats towards the rocky part of the breakwater.
Though the government made multiple efforts to remove sand and rocks, it still remains half-done.
