Union Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan on Sunday said that he had urged Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid to fast-track his Ministry’s efforts to secure the release of Tamil fishermen apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy.
Talking to reporters after attending a function in Ambur about 50 km from here, Mr. Vasan said he had also sought measures to have the seized boats returned.
The Minister also appealed to the Tamil Nadu Government and the fishermen’s associations to work jointly and help the Centre in creating a positive atmosphere for solving the fishermen’s problems.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president, Union Ministers, MPs and MLAs from Tamil Nadu had been jointly persuading the Centre to find a lasting and amicable solution to the problem, he said.
Mr. Vasan said that the Union government was trying to bring all major ports in the country on a par with international standards.
The PPP (public private partnership) projects of the Shipping Ministry were working successfully in all the ports across the country.
The Minister, who took part in the convocation of Sri Vidya Vikas College of Education, distributed certificates to 260 B.Ed. candidates.
