Fishers have welcomed the decision of the Fisheries department to put off the one-day combined inspection of boats to renew permits for supply of subsidised kerosene. The inspection has been postponed in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases, and a new date will be announced soon. A communication from the department said the test positivity rate (TPR) in many districts remained high, and under these circumstances, the inspection of fishing boats for their fitness and renewal of kerosene permits was being put off.
Matysa Thozhilali Aikya Vedhi, an independent union of fishers, said there was considerable relief among fishers about the boat inspection procedures after it was announced that only boats with engines up to 10 years old would be renewed permits. Charles George of the Vedhi said on Sunday that the fishers were worried about thousands of outboard engine vessels going out of business after the inspection.
The boats with engines, which are more than 10 years old would not get subsidised kerosene under the public distribution system (PDS) or through the apex fisheries cooperative Matsyafed. Mr. George said the Vedhi had requested the government on several occasions to fix the permit period as 15 years to enable thousands of vessels to remain in business, but the plea had not been addressed. He said the present conditions would give the government enough time to consider the plight of boat owners and fish workers.
He said hundreds of boats had gone out of business because of the scarcity of fish catch and the rising cost of operations. The government, through the PDS and Matsyafed, provided a limited quantity of kerosene to fishing boats at subsidised rates as an incentive. However, the increasing cost of fuel and labour had put many boats out of business, he added.