TIRUCHY: The fishermen from the region appealed to the government to allow them to practice stay fishing methods to save the fuel costs and also guard them from huge losses.
According to fishermen from the region, they face a threat not only from the navy of the neighbouring country of Sri Lanka, but also the diesel price hike haunts them.
According to D Sakthivel, a mechanised boat owner from Nagapattinam, the Sri Lankan boundary line is located very close to their region, and the government restricts them from venturing beyond five nautical miles into the sea. They also tend to use more quantity of fuel, but there is very little catch, resulting in a huge loss.
“Hence, they are demanding both Centre and State governments to give nod for the ‘stay fishing’ which would lessen the usage of fuel,” he said.
While A Thajudeen, president of the Mechanised Boat Owners Association, said that stay fishing is allowed in certain areas in Nagapattinam, but in Thanjavur and Pudukkottai, it is restricted.
“We are allowed to get 1,900 litres of diesel with a subsidy from the state government, but the use of diesel would go beyond the allotment, and so we fetch diesel without a subsidy. Due to this, the government should allow us to adopt ‘stay fishing’ so that the fuel usage would be less,” he said.
“Once the bilateral talks between India and Sri Lanka end smoothly, the government should consider ‘stay fishing’ activities, which would be helpful for the fishing community,” Thajudeen added.
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