Hundreds of fishermen from Pedajalaripeta staged a protest on Beach Road near the APSRTC Waltair Depot on Wednesday morning, demanding the immediate release of five persons who were arrested by the police.
The protesters blocked all roads leading to the Beach Road at Pedajalaripeta and traffic had to be diverted at Lawsons’ Bay and Tenneti Park.
The protest continued till late in the evening, with the fishermen demanding the release of the arrested persons and a complete ban on the use of ring nets.
On Tuesday, two groups of fishermen — one from Pedajalaripeta and the other from Vasavanipalem, Mangamaripeta and Yendada — clashed over the use of the banned ring nets. Five boats were torched and eight persons injured in the clash.
The fishermen from Pedajalaripeta, who use traditional fishing nets, have been protesting the use of ring nets by the other group for years. A similar clash had occurred in 2020, after which the State government had banned the use of ring nets in a distance of eight nautical miles from the coast.
However, despite the ban and an order from the High Court, the fishermen from Vasavanipalem, Mangamaripeta and Yendada have reportedly been using the ring nets within the restricted area, a fishermen from Pedajalaripeta said.
“With the holes in the ring nets being small and less than half an inch in diameter, marine life is affected and the quantity of fish in the sea is depleted quickly, which is why we have been urging for a ban on the use of ring nets,” said Demudu, a fisherman from Pedajalaripeta.
On Tuesday, a group of fishermen with ring nets ventured into the sea for fishing in the restricted area, which led to the clash.
Later, according to the fishermen from Pedajalaripeta, a police team had visited their locality at 5 a.m. and picked up five persons on charges of causing disturbance. “We do not know about their whereabouts and we demand that they be released immediately,” said a woman from Pedajalaripeta.
Speaking to The Hindu , JSP leader Kona Tata Rao said that the fishermen from Pedajalaripeta have been agitating since 2018, but authorities have not taken any concrete steps to address their concerns. In 2020, Minister for Animal Husbandry Seediri Appalaraju had promised to set up a committee with the District Collector as the head to see that the ban is enforced, but it has not taken shape, he alleged.
