Kin seek release of 25 fishermen detained by Maldivian Coast Guard

Fishermen and the family of those detained by Maldivian Coast Guard submitted a petition to Thoothukudi Collector on Monday, seeking the release of fishermen and their boats.

The petition was submitted at the weekly grievance redressal meeting chaired by Collector Vishu Mahajan.

A delegation led by R. Raj, president of the Thoothukudi District Country Boat, Fibre Boat and Catamarans Fishing Community Association, submitted the petition.

According to the petition, 25 fishermen had ventured into the deep sea for fishing on October 1, 2 and 3 in gillnet fishing boats belonging to Ramesh Kumar, Soosaipackiyam and Michael John Sankar, which had set out from the Tharuvaikulam coast.

While the fishermen were fishing on Indian waters, about 180 nautical miles from Maldives, the Maldivian coast guard detained 25 fishermen, alleging that they had crossed the maritime boundary while fishing, and were subsequently taken to Maldives.

The petition urged the authorities to take steps to secure the unconditional release of all 25 fishermen and the three gillnet fishing boats.

In a separate petition, the same delegation urged the authorities to verify documents and conduct a field inspection to ascertain whether Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances had been obtained for the green ammonia project, golf course, children’s park construction and pipeline work associated with a seawater desalination project along the Mullakadu coastal stretch limits within Thoothukudi Port limits.

They demanded that the work be stopped immediately if it was established that they were being carried out without required clearances.

Representatives of various organisations and residents of Muthiahpuram submitted a petition stating that heavy vehicles were being parked along the roadside without adequate safety measures on the stretch from Uppathu Odai roundabout to Thoppu street in Muthiahpuram on the Thoothukudi-Tiruchendur Road.

The petitioners stated that this had led to repeated fatal accidents, and they urged the authorities to take steps to prevent them.

They also sought the relocation of a Tasmac liquor outlet in the area, the shifting of container lorry parking yards located in residential areas to other locations and the removal of sand accumulation on the both slides of the road.

In a separate petition, residents of South Thithampatti village in Kayathar taluk stated that an individual had set up a goat shed close to the anganwadi centre, the VAO’s office and a purified drinking water facility.

They alleged that the shed had caused serious sanitary issues and increased mosquito breeding, exposing children at anganwadi centre to diseases, including dengue. They urged the authorities to take steps to relocate the goat shed.