Date:05/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/05/stories/2008080561090300.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Plea to replace NCP nominee

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Society for the Protection of Rights of Latin Catholics has protested against the nomination of Maryapuram Sreekumar, Thiruvananthapuram district president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), to the National Fishermen Development Board by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. The society said Mr. Sreekumar had nothing to do with the fisheries sector.

Joseph Edwin, president of the society, said here on Monday that the board was set up to solve the basic problems of fish workers and producers and draw up schemes for the development of the fisheries sector as a result of the efforts of trade unions at the national level and community leaders of fish workers. Kerala was a major fisheries State of the country. He wondered how a person who had nothing to do with the sector could be nominated a representative of the State on the board. He demanded cancellation of the decision and the nomination of a person connected with the sector as non-official member of the board.