RAMESWARAM
The fishermen from Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai and Thanjavur districts have decided to venture into sea from 1 p.m. on June 13 (Saturday). The decision was made at a meeting of fishermen association leaders and representatives from Rameswaram, Thangachimadam, Mandapam, Soliakudi, Kottaipattinam, Jagathapattinam, Sethubavachatram and Mallipattinam.
Speaking to The Hindu , fishermen association leader Jesu Raja said the fishermen unanimously decided to venture into sea from all these places at 1 p.m. on June 13 and return to the shore the next day. The meeting, which went on for about three hours, also thanked the governments for COVID-19 pandemic relief measures announced for the fishermen.
Earlier, presiding over a meeting of fishermen, Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao appealed to them to follow the guidelines while venturing into sea. The district administration, he said, would provide all assistance to them when they returned with their catch.
The government had announced last month that the fishermen could venture into sea from June 1. However, the fishermen decided to postpone it by 15 days since they were all indoors due to COVID-19 pandemic. They also had to come out of the loss caused by Cyclone Amphan. They had to repair their mechanised, country and fibre boats, they said.
The Collector, along with Fisheries Department officials, inspected the damage caused to boats and property at Pamban and Thangachimadam. The exporters also expressed concern as their workers, mostly migrants, had returned to their home States, they said.
