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Lift ban or face stir, government told
By Express News Service
08 Feb 2011 03:05:20 AM IST
Lift ban or face stir, government told
CHENNAI: Putting the state government and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on the mat for failing to understand their livelihood issues, fishermen unions on Monday served an ultimatum to the department setting a deadline of February 28 to remove the ban on catching sea cucumber, failing which they would be forced to go on a massive strike from March 3.
Addressing the members during an agitation near the Collectorate here, A Palsamy, president of Ramanathapuram District Fishworkers Trade Union (RFTU), not only condemned the ban imposed in 2002, but also demanded that authorities concerned immediately lift it. The agitation, jointly organised by RFTU, Ramnad District Sea Shell (Sangu) and Sea Weed (Kadal Passi) Workers’ Federation and Coastal Action Network (CAN) was to prevail upon the authorities to lift the ban on catching sea cucumber immediately.
The unions have decided to sit on a fast-unto-death in Ramanathapuram and planned to invite all fishermen associations from other districts to join if the government and MoEF failed to lift the ban even after the March 3 indefinite strike.
K J Jaffar, convenor of Ramnad District Sea Shell (Sangu) and Sea Weed (Kadal Passi) Workers’ Federation, highlighted that for the past eight years, the Centre and state governments have betrayed an ‘indifferent attitude’ towards traditional fishing communities, who are solely dependent on sea cucumber and other marine resources for their livelihood, despite the unions having submitted numerous memoranda and petitions and held protests.
The members also demanded that the government protect the livelihood of 1.5 lakh traditional fish workers (using traditional fishing craft) in Ramanathapuram, Tuticorin, Pudukottai, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam by lifting the ban. About 200 representatives from different organisations from eight coastal districts participated in the protest.
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