MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday directed the central and state government to consider a plea seeking protection and permission to traditional fishermen to travel in fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) motorized boats to attend the annual festival at St Antony's Shrine in Katchatheevu.
A bench comprising justices J Nisha Banu and S Srimathy passed the order after the government counsel said it is not safe to travel in the aforesaid said boats. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by J Brinso Raymond, an advocate from Olaikuda in Rameswaram.
Raymond had stated in his petition that the villagers were previously using country boats to travel to the island, but it was restricted by the authorities citing it was slow and unsafe. Later, the fishermen upgraded from wooden motorised boats to FRP motorized boats. But stating that the above boats could be used only for fishing and are unsuitable to ferry passengers, the authorities rejected their application. After hearing the submissions of the state authorities, the judges told the authorities to consider the petitioner's plea and disposed of the case.