RAMANATHAPURAM
Traditional and country boat fishermen, who had been urging the district administration to allow them and their family members to travel to Katchatheevu in country boats to participate in St. Antony’s Church festival scheduled for March 15 and 16, took up the matter with Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar in Chennai on Thursday.
A team of seven fishermen, led by S. Chinnathambi, president of Traditional Fishermen Federation, requested the Minister that they be allowed to travel in their boats and assert their traditional rights. After meeting the Minister, the fishermen leaders met Principal Secretary, Fisheries, K. Gopal and Fisheries Commissioner G.S. Sameeran and presented their pleas.
The officials suggested that they could discuss the issue and find a solution at the meeting to be convened by Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao here on February 19, Mr. Chinnathambi said. Mr. Rao has convened the meeting with all security agencies to discuss and finalise the procedures and formalities for the pilgrimage. Verkodu Parish in Rameswaram was organising the pilgrimage.
District Country Craft Fishermen Association has also urged the district administration to allow fisherfolk to travel in country boats for the festival. Stating that they had been attending the festival by travelling in country boats for several years, the association leaders alleged that they were being sidelined of late after Verkodu Parish commercialised the pilgrimage by taking pilgrims in mechanised boats for a prescribed charge.
If they were denied permission on the grounds of safety, the same should apply to mechanised boats, they said. They were denied permission despite the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court having directed the authorities to allow country boat fishermen, they claimed.
