Though the situation has calmed down between the two warring groups of fishers supporting and opposing banned purse seine nets in the district, both sides continue to keep away from the sea. A strong posse of police personnel has been deployed to prevent law and order problems triggered earlier this month when a group of Poompuhar-based fishermen on a mechanised boat cornered another group belonging to Vanagiri mid-sea and damaged their fibre-glass boat. Three fishermen were injured. The situation escalated when a group of fishers from Vanagiri retaliated by setting on fire four fibre glass boats belonging to the opposite group. Police booked cases against perpetrators on both sides and seized the mechanised boat. “As such, there is no restriction on fishers entering the sea with permitted nets. The situation will ease further after a few more arrests [of absconding fishers] are made in a day or two,” Superintendent of Police Suguna Singh said. Meanwhile, fishers of Tranquebar have resumed their fishing activities. The police and fisheries departments have tightened vigil to prevent fishers of both mechanised and fibre boats from using nets with gaps that are smaller than the permitted level.
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