[Reader-list] Fish workers for agitation

[T Peter]

*Fish workers for agitation *

*Date:09/06/2009* *URL:
http://www.thehindu.com/2009/06/09/stories/2009060950960200.htm*
Special Correspondent

   Thiruvananthapuram: Fish workers owing allegiance to the Kerala
Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) staged a dharna in front of
the Secretariat on Monday urging the government to write off their loans,
ban monsoon trawling on the basis of the Supreme Court verdict and exert
pressure on the Centre to scrap the move to replace the Coastal Regulation
Zone (CRZ) norms with a Coastal Zone Management (CZM) policy.

Inaugurating the dharna, federation president T. Peter called for steps to
ensure the safety of fishermen at sea during the monsoon season. He stressed
the need to step up patrolling by the Coast Guard and marine enforcement,
provide fishworkers with lifejackets and supply one wireless set for each
fishing vessel.

The federation also demanded measures to check the outbreak of epidemics in
the coastal areas during the monsoon. It urged the Health Department to
ensure that primary health centres in the coastal areas were operational
round-the- clock.

Addressing the dharna, Mr. Peter said the executive committee meeting of the
National Fishworkers Forum scheduled to be held at Kolkata on June 19 and 20
would finalise a nation-wide agitation to press the demands.