Fishermen from Thanjavur and Pudukottai have demanded that the government take steps to confiscate the mechanized high-speed boats operating along their coasts, and arrive at a permanent solution in this regard. A Thajudeen, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Fishermen Federation at Mallipattinam, said at a consultation meeting of Thanjavur, Pudukottai district mechanized boat fishermen association at Peravurani that there has been an agreement among fishermen on fishing by both mechanized and country boats.
Accordingly, mechanized boats could fish for three days and and country boats for four days a week in Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram coasts. However, fishermen on high-speed boats from other districts have been violating the agreement, leaving the local fishermen high and dry. The association appealed to the government to do the needful to instruct these fishermen to follow the 40-year-long agreement. A resolution was also adopted at the meeting condemning the Sri Lankan navy for sinking the boat of TN fishermen killing four of them on board. The meeting expressed displeasure at the human rights commission remaining “mute spectator” to fishermen’s issues.