A day after 29 fishermen from Nagapattinam district were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to secure the release of all Indian fishermen presently in Lankan custody.
Retrieval of Kathatheevu
“Attacks upon, and abductions of, our fishermen on the high seas in the Palk Bay continue unabated and are a matter of serious concern affecting the life and livelihood of Tamil Nadu fishermen on a daily basis,” Ms.Jayalalithaa observed and reiterated the State government’s commitment over the retrieval of Katchatheevu Islet from Sri Lanka.
She also urged that the Centre not to treat the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with Sri Lanka as a settled question, as a case over the issue was pending before the Supreme Court.
Ms. Jayalalithaa urged for Prime Minister’s personal intervention on the matter and requested him to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan authorities to secure the release of all 84 fishermen and 62 fishing boats in presently in Lankan custody.
Special package
Referring to the memoranda she had presented to the Prime Minister last year, seeking the sanction of a comprehensive Special Package for deep sea fishing and infrastructure, besides the recurring grant for maintenance dredging, Ms. Jayalalihaa insisted that the Central Government expedite the approval of the package.
