RAMANATHAPURAM: As part of their indefinite strike, hundreds of fishermen staged a rally from Rameswaram fishing harbour on Tuesday. The collector met the fishermen and attempted to pacify them, assuring action on the issues highlighted by them.
According to the fishermen’s association, four fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested and sentenced by the Sri Lankan court. The court sentenced two boat drivers to six months in jail, one person to a year in jail and another person to two years.
The fishermen’s association stated that since 2014, 151 boats have been seized by the Sri Lankan Navy. They demanded the centre help retrieve all the boats.
The fishermen started the rally early on Tuesday, and by noon, when they reached Pamban, District Collector Vishnu Chandran reached the spot to hold peace talks.
He told the fishermen that their demands had been taken up with the concerned minister of state. Accordingly, a committee has been set up by the fisheries department to retrieve the boats. The committee consists of six members, including three officers from the fisheries department and three representatives of fishermen’s associations.
The committee will visit Sri Lanka to check the condition of the boats and seek the government’s permission to bring them back.
Also considering the condition of the jailed fishers’ families, they requested that Rs 250 per day be given to these families. The collector also assured to forward the fisher’s petition to the concerned ministers, following which the fishermen dispersed from the venue.
The fishermen had announced that their indefinite strikes would continue and that they would boycott the Katchatheevu festival if the jailed fishermen were not released.