Ramnad fishers unhappy with BJP

RAMESWARAM: Fishermen of coastal hamlets in Ramanathapuram district including the traditional fishing hub of Mandapam and Rameswaram are “unhappy” with the BJP government at the Centre for not taking forward its much hyped programme of training and support to fishermen here to take up to deep sea fishing as an alternative to their subsistence fisheries in the Palk Straits which frequently resulted in harassment and arrests by the Sri Lankan Navy for intruding into their sea waters.

The deep sea fishing programme for Ramnad fishermen was launched with much fanfare by the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi in 2017 when he came here to unveil the majestic national memorial for late President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.

“But even two years after its formal launch, nothing much has happened on the ground and the pilot project for deep sea fishing training and assistance to Rameswaram fishermen virtually stands frozen,” says N J Bose, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Fishermen’s Association here on Sunday.

Under the project, from a list of 500 fishermen who had expressed their wish to switch over to deep sea fishing, 50 beneficiary fishermen were selected for the pilot project. Each selected fishermen was to be assisted with a deep sea fishing craft and other fishing accessories including net to the extent of `80 lakh per beneficiary.

Mr. Bose said the Centre was to provide subsidy up to 50 per cent of this cost, the State government subsidy was to be 20 per cent, 20 per cent of the amount to come by way of a bank loan and 10 per cent would be the individual beneficiary’s contribution. The fishermen selected for this pilot project were from Rameswaram, Pamban and Thangachimadam.

However, with no follow-up action taken on implementing the project and the cost estimates now having gone up to Rs. 1.10 crore per fishermen-beneficiary to help him take up deep sea fishing, the project has not yet taken off and individual fishermen do not have that kind of money, said Bose, adding, this has already become a campaign issue here for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.