An Indian court has directed the central government of India to take appropriate measurers within two months to retrieve the Indian fishermen's boats seized by Sri Lanka Navy when the fishermen enter the island waters illegally for poaching.
The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Secretary, Union Ministry of External Affairs to take appropriate steps within two months to retrieve the 120 fishing boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen from the Sri Lankan government.
The court was taking up a petition filed before a two-judge division bench yesterday by an advocate from Morepannai fishing village, in Ramanathapuram District.
The petition claimed that the livelihood of the fishermen has been affected after the Sri Lankan Navy seized 120 fishing boats including 80 boats belonging to fishermen of Rameswaram island recently. The advocate said that prolonged berthing without proper upkeep of the 120 boats would cause permanent damage to their structure, Deccan Chronicle reported.
The Tamil Nadu government had also written to the Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi to take appropriate steps to get the boats released, but with no success.
The Central government has told the court that the Ministry has been taking up the issue.
Sri Lanka Navy is instructed to arrest Tamil Nadu fishermen entering island waters disregarding the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) for poaching and seize their boats. The Sri Lankan government has adopted a policy to release the fishermen but to detain the boats in order to prevent the poachers from returning.
At the India-Sri Lanka ministerial level talks held in Colombo on 2 January on the fishermen's issue, the Indian side requested for the immediate release of Indian fishing vessels. The Sri Lankan side agreed to consider the request in view of the progress being made by the Joint Working Group on fisheries.
The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Secretary, Union Ministry of External Affairs to take appropriate steps within two months to retrieve the 120 fishing boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen from the Sri Lankan government.
The court was taking up a petition filed before a two-judge division bench yesterday by an advocate from Morepannai fishing village, in Ramanathapuram District.
The petition claimed that the livelihood of the fishermen has been affected after the Sri Lankan Navy seized 120 fishing boats including 80 boats belonging to fishermen of Rameswaram island recently. The advocate said that prolonged berthing without proper upkeep of the 120 boats would cause permanent damage to their structure, Deccan Chronicle reported.
The Tamil Nadu government had also written to the Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi to take appropriate steps to get the boats released, but with no success.
The Central government has told the court that the Ministry has been taking up the issue.
Sri Lanka Navy is instructed to arrest Tamil Nadu fishermen entering island waters disregarding the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) for poaching and seize their boats. The Sri Lankan government has adopted a policy to release the fishermen but to detain the boats in order to prevent the poachers from returning.
At the India-Sri Lanka ministerial level talks held in Colombo on 2 January on the fishermen's issue, the Indian side requested for the immediate release of Indian fishing vessels. The Sri Lankan side agreed to consider the request in view of the progress being made by the Joint Working Group on fisheries.
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