The Akhila Kerala Dheevara Sabha has decided to launch an agitation demanding the rejection of the recommendations of the expert committee headed by ICAR Deputy Director General (Fisheries) B. Meenakumari for deep sea fishing and the government orders that were issued in this regard.
Speaking to reporters here, Dheevara Sabha general secretary V. Dinakaran said the statement made by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh at the Parliament in the issue paved way for several ambiguities. “The Minister has assured that foreign vessels will not be permitted to fish within 200 nautical miles, i.e., the area which forms the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, at the same time, the Union government has issued an order that enables fishing within 12 nautical miles from the shores by large ships that have obtained the Letter of Permission (LoP),” he said.
He said the government stand was bound to affect Kerala the most in the country. According to Mr. Dinakaran, the other coastal States mostly utilised large trawlers for fishing. On the other hand, there were about 22,000 small-scale trawlers and nearly 2,000 boats that have been equipped with inboard engines,” he said.
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The Dheevara Sabha will organise a strike declaration convention at the Town Hall here on March 2.
Strike declaration convention on Monday.