26 December 2017

Demolished fishing vessel at Kasimedu harbour sealed

CHENNAI: A fishing vessel that was illegally demolished at Kasimedu harbour has been sealed by government officials after a report appeared in these columns on Saturday last.

South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association president K Bharathi said that on the same day the report appeared, a team of officials covered the demolished vessel with a tarpaulin and put a seal on it. The report had the desired effect stopping further damage to the environment, he said.

The association also filed a complaint with the state environment department last week. The environment department, in a letter, instructed officials to inspect the place to check the damage caused by the demolition. In case of violations of the Coastal Regulation Zone Rules 2011, necessary action should be taken, the letter said. The action taken report has to be sent to the complainant and the director of environment department, Tamil Nadu, it further said.

Fishermen in the area said another tug and a fishing vessel, which are waiting to be broken down, remain anchored at the harbour. The authorities have to seize these two boatsbefore the demolition begins, they said.

The Kasimedu fishing harbour was originally a ship repairing yard for the Coast Guard. With the increase in the number of boats, fishermen requested the authorities to allocate space which led to the yard being marked as a fishing harbour, a fisherman said.

Fishermen are now worried that the demolition of ships here will set a wrong precedent and encourage others wanting to dispose of their vessels. Already the volume of their catch is going down due to pollution and releasing waste from a condemned ship will further pollute the environment. All fishermen are against allowing demolition of ships in the harbour, said Fishermen Murpokku Sangam president Jagadeesan.


Source: times of india. 17 November 2017

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