The stand-off between the Centre and the State over the period of total fishing ban this year has put maritime law enforcing agencies, especially the Coast Guard which is responsible for safeguarding India’s marine resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), in a catch-22 situation.
“The agencies are in a fix as the whole thing is nebulous. I’m sure this will be brought up during the discussions at the meeting of officials convened by Fisheries and Ports Minister K. Babu in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday,” said a Coast Guard officer on condition of anonymity.
Kerala has gone against the Centre’s decision to enforce total fishing ban for an extended period of 61 days from Monday and is instead pressing ahead with its plan to have the usual 47-day trawling ban beginning June 14 midnight.
While the Coast Guard operates under the Union government, it has a working relationship and constant interaction with all coastal States on everything from security of the EEZ to that of Indian fishermen and the protection of marine resources beyond the territorial seas.
With Kerala defying Centre’s ban that came into force on Monday, there were reports of the Coast Guard cautioning fishermen against venturing beyond the 12 nautical miles (territorial sea) off Kollam.
‘No conflict’
A senior Coast Guard official, however, rubbished such reports. “To the best of my knowledge, there was no incident of conflict between Coast Guard and fishermen off the Kerala Coast today,” Additional Director General SPS Basra, in-charge of Coast Guard (Western Region), told The Hindu over the phone.
“It’s not our business to intervene in Centre-State disputes,” he said when asked about Kerala’s tiff with the Centre on the issue.
“Since several hundred fishing boats across Kerala are bracing to defy the extended ban and to go beyond 12 nautical miles to do fishing as they have always done, it would augur well for everyone to have a consensus on the issue,” said an official of the Fisheries Department. “However, as of now, our trawl ban is just for 47 days,” he reiterated.
Sources in the Coast Guard said the agency could not, and did not intend to, go on a collision course with State government.
A senior Coast Guard official said it was up to the respective district administrations, the Fisheries Department and the coastal police to enforce the ban, as had been the practice. “Unless there is an emergency, the Coast Guard is not called in,” he said.
The Defence spokesperson, however, remained noncommittal despite repeated requests.