Tamil Nadu

Fishermen strike enters second day

UNMOVED: Mechanised boats lying anchored at Jegadapattinam in Pudukottai district following the indefinite strike by fishermen since Tuesday.

PUDUKOTTAI: Fishermen of Pudukottai district continued their strike for the second consecutive day on Tuesday in support of their five-point charter of demands.

About 2,000 mechanised and fibreglass boats and hundreds of catamarans were seen berthed in the coastal villages of Kottaipattinam, Pudhukudi, Ponnagaram, R. Pudupattinam, and Thondi in Ramanathapuram district.

Jegadapattinam Fishermen Welfare Association president G. Ramakrishnan said that their demands included immediate payment of cash relief to the bereaved families of fishermen whose bodies could not be recovered, waiver of loans taken by the fishermen affected by tsunami, repeal of the notification on the Coastal Zone Management, equal distribution of funds for both inland and coastal fishermen.

Mr. Ramakrishnan said that as per norms, the cash relief to the next of kin of a fisherman whose body could not be recovered from the sea, was paid only after seven years.

The families were economically hit due to the death of the bread-winners.

Further, there was no follow-up even at the end of seven years, resulting in non-payment of compensation to these families.

He said that the fishermen wanted the disbursement of the compensation within three months.

On the notification of the Coastal Zone Management, he said that it would be a severe blow to the livelihood of the fishing community as it restricted fishing activity.

Thousands of fishermen of Nagapattinam district did not venture into the sea. Prices of some varieties of fish had increased considerably in the local market.

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