[Reader-list] Fwd: Fishworkers plan nation-wide protest

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Fishworkers plan nation-wide protest

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/fishworkers-plan-nationwide-protest/article5212462.ece
STAFF REPORTER
 Against policies of Centre, 10 littoral States

Members of the fishing community will stage nation-wide protests under the
banner of the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) in October and November,
against the “anti-fishing community policies of the Central and the ten
littoral State governments.”

At a press meet here on Monday, NFF secretary T. Peter said almost all
coastal or marine-based development projects announced by the Union and
State governments were harmful to the interests of the traditional fishing
communities. The hydrofoil project announced by the Kerala government would
affect thousands of sea-faring fishermen indulging in pelagic fishing.

He said a distance of 12 nautical miles from the coast was an area where
fishermen enjoyed exclusive rights in fishing. This space should not be
shared with tourism and coastal shipping sectors. Such opening up of the
coastal waters would harm the country’s security, he said.

The fishing community was anxious about the proposal to convert the
operations of the Kerala Maritime Board on a build-operate-transfer and
private-public-partnership basis. Such moves would bring coastal areas and
ports under the control of domestic and foreign monopolists.

Mr. Peter said that the fishing community was being totally ignored by the
authorities. A long-standing demand for a separate Union Ministry of
Fisheries was being ignored. In the last Budget, the Kerala government had
declared a marine ambulance project. So far there has been no progress.

The demands to be raised during the agitation include protection of the
customary rights of the fishing community, cancellation of permits for
foreign trawlers to fish in Indian waters, Central assistance for all
accidents in sea, rehabilitation of fishing community members living in sea
erosion-prone areas by allocating 10 cents of land to each family, ensuring
availability of kerosene at fair price for fishermen and strict ban on sea
sand-mining.

He said that during the second week of this month NFF leaders would meet
the Prime Minister and submit a memorandum highlighting their demands. By
month-end, they would submit memoranda to the Chief Ministers of all the 10
littoral States.

A 101-hour dharna, under the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali
Federation, would be staged in front of the Secretariat from November 4.
The World Fishermen Day, falling on November 21, would be marked by
demonstrations in the 10 States. The national conference of the NFF at
Mumbai, from December 6 to 8, would decide the future course of action, Mr.
Peter said. Federation leaders A. Andrews and P.P. John were present at the
press meet.

**
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*Object to sharing ‘exclusive rights’ with tourism sector*

*Demand a separate Union fisheries ministry*

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