NFF not happy with inconclusive India-SL talks

Talking to newspersons here, Illango said the announcement that a new committee is to be formed is a fraudulent one and a Joint Action Committee already exists. Also, the announcement that this committee will meet every third month and the Ministers meeting will be held every 6 months is a futile act of diverting the attention, he added. He said more than 115 boats of Indian fishermen have been confiscated by Sri Lanka since February 24, 2015 and are lying in open grounds for the past 20 months facing the wrath of rough weathers.  The fishermen had high hopes that a decision will soon be taken regarding the confiscated boats, as the rough weather season of the year is nearing. But the announcement that a decision will be taken only after the meeting of officials of both countries to be held on January 2, 2017 Jan is very disappointing. 

The assets of middle income group fishermen valuing to the tune of Rs 60 crore will further deteriorate in this year’s monsoon and that cannot be accepted. The fishermen who are disappointed are pushed to further mental depression, Mr Illango said. 

The decision taken in yesterday’s meeting of providing GPS for the fishermen so as to know where they are and to have a better patrolling by the Navy of both the countries will only result in preventing Indian fishermen venturing into the Palk Bay, he said.  He said the Tamil Nadu fisher women conference will be held at Ramanathapuram on November 8. Mr. Bila Rajesh, Commissioner for Fisheries will deliver key note address in this meeting. 

Thousands of fisher women from the 13 coastal districts of Tamil Nadu will participate. Fisheries experts and fisher women leaders are expected to speak in the event., he said. He also said that a massive rally is planned in New Delhi on November 21 to resist the effort of coastal land grabbing by vested interests by displacing the fisher people from the coast. Thousands of fisher people are expected to participate in the rally which would be presided over by him, the NFF Chairperson said.