Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday wrote to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan urging the latter to instruct officials to provide passes for Kanniyakumari fishermen so that they could resume fishing from August 1.
About 350 mechanised fishing boats and 750 traditional boats belonging to Kanniyakumari district fishermen were presently berthed in various fishing harbours/fish landing centres in Kerala.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the eventual lockdown and various travel restrictions, Tamil Nadu fishermen returned to their hometowns leaving behind their fishing boats in various fishing harbours/landing centres in Kerala.
“Due to lockdown restrictions, these fishermen from Kanniyakumari district could neither go to Kerala to take up maintenance of their boats nor resume their fishing activities. There are around 25,000 fishermen families in Kanniyakumari district who have lost their livelihood for the past 3 months,” Mr. Palaniswami said.
Fishermen associations in Kanniyakumari district have requested the Tamil Nadu government to arrange for entry passes to enter Kerala and take up maintenance of their fishing boats immediately so that they can resume fishing on August 1 after the ban period.
He urged Mr. Vijayan to instruct authorities concerned to issue entry passes to allow the Kanniyakumari fishermen into Kerala and permit them to resume fishing from August 1.
