With coastal livelihoods hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns triggering unrest in places like Poonthura, the government is looking at whether fishing can be allowed in a controlled environment without diluting disease containment protocols in the thickly populated and vulnerable coastal belt. Meantime, District Collectors have been directed to tighten safety measures in the coastal areas, given the recent spike in cases.
The Fisheries Department has proposed that fishers may be allowed to operate in the sea regions close to their villages, but on condition that the COVID-19 safety measures are strictly observed at work and in the coastal areas. “It would allow them to remain in their own localities and go to work. We have given a detailed note to the Chief Minister in this regard. A decision is expected in a day or two,” Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma said.
Minimum contact
The proposals are designed to ensure minimum contact among the coastal residents and outsiders to prevent a possible spread of the disease. Several coastal areas in five districts were scheduled to go under a triple lockdown from 6 p.m. on Monday (July 13) till 6 p.m. on July 23.
If the proposals are waved through, boats would be allowed to venture out under an odd-even scheme on alternate days based on their registration numbers. The system would automatically reduce the number of fishing craft operating on a given day by half, enabling better management in the harbours, the Minister said.
Catch at fixed prices
The department has also suggested that the system introduced successfully at the Neendakara harbour in Kollam can be replicated in other places for the successful marketing of the catch. Auctions would stand banned at the harbours to prevent crowding. Instead, traders can purchase the catch at prices fixed by the Matsyafed.
“Traders can contact the harbours, register in advance and place their orders. They should also inform the harbour authorities beforehand regarding the details of the vehicles. Only one vehicle would be allowed inside at a time,” the Minister said.
Whether any coastal region should go under lockdown has to be decided by the District Collectors concerned, the Minister said. “We cannot say beforehand whether a region should be locked down or not. The Collectors should declare it after assessing the situation in a given region. The government’s direction is that our preventive measures should be strengthened without allowing any loopholes,” she said.
Triple lockdown
On Sunday, the government declared triple lockdowns in critical containment zones on the coast till 6 p.m. on July 23. These included Manikyavilakom, Poonthura and Puthenpalli in Thiruvananthapuram; Chavara and Panmana in Kollam; Pattanakkad, Kadakarapally, Cherthala South, Mararikulam North, Kodamthuruth, Kuthiyathode, Thuravur and Arattupuzha in Alappuzha; Chellanam in Ernakulam; and Veliyamcode, Perumpadappa, Ponnai municipality and Thanur municipality in Malappuram. Some of these areas were already under triple lockdown.
