CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar on Tuesday announced that fish landing centres would be established at 10 coastal villages with all required facilities.
“The fish landing centres in 10 villages will be set up at a cost of Rs 89.50 crore,” he told the Assembly at the end of a debate on the demand for grants for his department.
One of the centres will be at Kunthukal village in Ramanathapuram district with a view to decongesting fishing vessels at Palk Bay, a fish landing centre which will have boat berthing facility, T-jetty and other facilities.
The other places are: Kodiakarai, Chinnangudi, Kameshwaram, Pushpavanam (Nagapattinam district), Vempar (Thoothukudi), Kattumavadi and Ponnagaram (Pudukottai), Soolerikattukuppam (Kancheepuram) and Thazhanguda (Cuddalore).
In order to help fishermen, who use catamarans, to purchase fibreglass boats, the government will provide 50 per cent subsidy. As many as 100 fishermen will be provided with a combined sum of Rs 2.12 crore during the current financial year.
Similarly, Rs 1.60 crore would be distributed to inland fishermen as subsidy to help them purchase fishing net and fibreglass coracles.
Meanwhile, the Policy Note on Fisheries department said that the government had issued orders to diversify trawlers from Palk Bay into deep sea tuna fishing long liner-cum-Gill netter boats in a phased manner in three years with funding assistance from the Centre and the State.
The estimated unit cost of the new Tuna long liner cum Gill netter is Rs 80 lakh per boat. The scheme will be implemented with 70 per cent subsidy assistance subject to a maximum of Rs 56 lakh per boat and 20 per cent institutional finance and 10 per cent beneficiary contribution.
Diversification of trawlers will prevent Tamil fishermen from straying into Sri Lankan waters.
The Fisheries minister said a comprehensive scheme with a combined estimate of about Rs 2,000 crore was under study to protect coastal villages in the State. The scheme will be implemented with funding from the Centre.He also said steps would be taken to resolve the strife between Kasimedu fishermen and fisherfolk in Andhra Pradesh over fishing along the peripheries of Exclusive Economic Zone.