The Mutwal Fishermen Protection Association yesterday expressed serious concern over as the fishermen who were affected by the destruction caused off Sri Lanka by the MV X-Press Pearl container ship last year, are still to receive compensation.
The Association said a large number of victimized fisher folk are still awaiting compensation from the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) or any other responsible State organisation.
According to MFPA, the container ship owner company in Singapore has already paid compensation to Sri Lanka and it is now the responsibility of the local authorities to expedite payments to the affected fisher families considering their plight.
When contacted, a senior MEPA official said the affected fisher families have already been identified and steps will be taken to provide compensation as early as possible.He said measures will also be taken to clean the affected coastal belt and ocean area to enable the traditional fishermen in the areas to go ahead with their fishing activities.