Fishermen in Nagapattinam district have planned an indefinite protest against the Central Government later this month to condemn the escalating cost of diesel. In view of the enormous foreign exchange earning from export of seafood products, the Central Government ought to have protected the fishermen community from the impact of fuel price hike, representatives of fishermen welfare associations said. On behalf of the fishermen community, R. M. P. Rajendra Nattar, one of the representatives intimated to the State Government the protest plan if their demands for ameliorative measures were not addressed. In the letter, Mr. Nattar sought increase in the monthly quota of subsidised diesel per mechanised boat to 3,000 litres from the existing 1,800 litres. Likewise, the monthly quota should be increased from 320 litres to 420 litres per small boat, he said. At the prevailing cost of Rs. 79 per litre of diesel, the fishermen are able to get subsidy benefit in the range of Rs. 12 to Rs. 13 rupees per litre. But, their cumulative expenditure is still high, and there was no way for them to sell their fish catches at higher costs to offset the higher expenditure on fuel, he pointed out. According to the fishermen associations, there are over 1,100 mechanised boats and over 4,000 small boats in Nagapattinam district. The future of the entire community is at stake as the losses have become unbearable, Mathialagan, representative of Nagapattinam Deep Sea Boat Owners’ Association said. The fishermen community is also sore with the government over their unfulfilled demand for completing registration process for more than 300 mechanised boats and close to 1,200 small boats. The boats without registration are intercepted by the Marine Police and Coast Guard and the crew face the trouble of facing gruelling interrogation, Mr. Nattar said. There was no reason for the Fisheries department to deny registration to eligible applicants in Nagapattinam district, he said. He cited the prompt action taken by the department in registering all mechanised and small boats in Tuticorin district.