“Centre will find a lasting solution to fishermen issue”

Pon. Radhakrishnan said government would find a lasting solution to the vexatious issue in such a way that the fishing community continued their fishing vocation and improve their standard of living.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan has assured that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre would find a lasting solution to the fishermen issue.

Talking to reporters at Kooriyur near here on Sunday, he said the Modi government would find a lasting solution to the vexatious issue in such a way that the fishing community continued their fishing vocation (in the Palk Bay) generation after generation and improve their standard of living.

“I do not want to say the solution will be found this way or that way,” he said declining to go into the details. The hapless fishermen had been fighting for a lasting solution for the last 30 years and soon there would be government-level talks to reach an agreement with the consent of the fishermen, he said.

Mr. Radhakrishnan, who held a marathon discussion with representatives of fishermen from six coastal districts at the party office in Chennai on Saturday, said the discussion went on non-stop for six hours and the details of the talks have been conveyed to Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj.

He said 64 representatives from 25 fishermen associations took part in the meeting and expressed their views on the problems faced by them and suggested solutions. “A lasting solution will be found to the issue based on the views expressed the fishermen leaders,” he said.

Asked about the establishment of separate Ministry for Fisheries as promised by the BJP during the electioneering, the Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would take a decision on this. The Prime Minister was deeply concerned about the interest of fishermen and had even nominated a fisherman to the Rajya sabha from Gujarat when he was the Chief Minister.

“When the Prime Minister is taking efforts for all round development, it will not be possible to achieve the development without protecting the interest of the fishermen, who faced life and death on a day-to-day basis,” Mr. Radhakrishnan said, answering a question.

On fishermen expressing concern over the continued detention of their boats, he said talks were going on to secure the release of the boats as well. When the Lankan government ordered the release of 94 fishermen, the 62 boats should have also been released but “it did not take place for some reasons,” he said. “We do not have to worry on this as steps are being taken to secure the release of the boats,” he added.