Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Assistance for fishermen during ban period

CHENNAI: The State government will pay Rs.500 per family of fishermen during the 45-day mandatory fishing ban period, Fisheries Minister K.P.P. Samy informed the Assembly on Wednesday.

This will benefit two lakh fishermen families and cost the government Rs.10 crore.

The ban came into effect after the Centre suggested it — by a mutual consensus among all maritime States — to conserve and replenish fishery wealth. It is being enforced since 2001 in the State. The ban prohibits fishing by mechanised boats and trawlers in the territorial waters off Tamil Nadu for 45 days every year.

This period is from April 15 to May 29 from the Tiruvallur district coast to Kanyakumari town (1016 km) and from June 15 to July 29 from Kanyakumari town to Neerodi (60 km). There are 50,777 registered fishing vessels in Tamil Nadu of which mechanised fishing boats number 5,596. Various fishermen bodies had asked the government to provide assistance as done in some other States, including Puducherry.

Mr. Samy said that when he took the issue to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, he readily agreed to grant the required assistance. The 2 lakh fishermen are spread over 13 coastal districts of the State.

The Minister said the government had taken up construction of fishing harbours at various points along the coast. As part of the Sethusamudram ship canal project, it had decided to extend financial aid to develop a multi-purpose harbour at Rameswaram at a cost of Rs.100 crore. The harbour would handle fishing vessels, cargo vessels, and have berthing and repair facilities for the vessels of the Sethusamudram Corporation. The Centre has approved the Colachel fishing harbour project, the Minister said. Work on the Rs.27.1-crore project would commence this financial year.

The government had also given administrative sanction for the Thengapattinam fishing harbour in Kanyakumari district. The project cost (Rs.38.1 crore) would be shared equally by the Centre and the State.

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