‘Pay ₹500 a day to fishermen during ban period’

The Madras High Court on Friday sought the response of Fisheries Department to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a direction to the Centre as well as the State government to pay relief amount at the rate of ₹500 per day to every fisherman during the entire fishing ban period of 61 days.

First Division Bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose directed Government Pleader T.N. Rajagopalan to obtain instructions by April 28, the last working day before the High Court breaks into a month-long summer vacation. The direction was issued on the PIL petition filed by Fisherman Care represented by its president L.T.A. Peter Rayan.

During the course of arguments, the petitioner’s counsel L.P. Maurya pointed out that the State government had increased the fishing ban period from 45 days to 61 days and consequently increased the relief amount from ₹2,000 to ₹5,000.

Contending that the relief amount was not sufficient, the counsel stated that recent studies had revealed that there was no indication of recovery of stocks in the sea during the ban period and that a ban was not a solution to adverse impact caused by bottom trawling.

Accusing the Centre of having introduced bottom trawling through Indo-Norwegian project, The association contended that it would be disastrous if bottom trawling was banned abruptly since the fishermen had invested heavily by mortgaging their houses and jewellery.