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Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Alleti lays foundation stone for CC road construction
Nirmal: Legislative Party leader for BJP Alleti Maheshwar Reddy laid the foundation stone for a new CC road construction project in Mayapur village of Dilawarpur mandal, funded by CRR at a cost of Rs 30 lakhs. On this occasion, Maheshwar Reddy stated that he would always stand by and work for the development of Mayapur village. He also assured efforts to secure housing approvals for eligible poor residents who don't own homes. Participating in the event were leaders including Ramnath, former Nirmal Mandal Parishad President V Satyanarayana Goud, recently serving ZPTC Thakkal Ramana Reddy, former MPTC Satyam Chandrakant, and others.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
The young man and the sea: 28-year-old missing after duel with marlin fish
Yerraya C was no Santiago. For one, he was only 28, his years stretching out like the endless expanse of sea he ventured into every day as he set out fishing. But like Santiago, the ageing protagonist of the Ernest Hemingway classic, The Old Man and the Sea, one day, the young fisherman met his marlin. At the end of a grueling battle, the marlin dragged Yerraya into the waters. He has been missing since then. Marlins are one of the fiercest predatory fish species, with black marlins, the one Yerraya encountered, considered among the fastest. That day, July 3, Yerraya, his younger brother C Koralaya, 26, and two others, had set out in their fishing boat from Pudimadaka village in Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh. 'We set sail around 2 am. By around 9 am, a Kommu Konam (Telugu for marlin) got caught in the net. It was big, must have weighed about 200 kg,' says Koralaya. While the others suggested that they cut the net, Yerraya insisted that they will be able to haul in the fish. 'After all, he has been fishing since he was 7. He was a big, strong man, so he kept fighting with the fish,' Koralaya says of his elder brother. The marlin splashed and pulled at the net from the other end, with Yerraya trying hard to draw the line. But his legs got caught in the net and the fish dragged him into the waters. His fellow fishermen tried rescuing Yerraya. One of them, V Yellaji, swam after Yerraya for about 30 minutes. 'He kept looking for Yerraya under the waters, but couldn't find him,' says Koralaya. On July 4, the Anakapalli police lodged a missing person's complaint after the Coast Guard searched for an entire day. 'The search operation by the Coast Guard was launched after the fishermen could not find Yerraya. We suspect no foul play in the incident. It was an accident as per our investigation,' said N Ganesh, Inspector of Atchutapuram police station. 'As per the statement given by co-fishermen, it's a marlin attack. The Coast Guard too indicated that it is a Marlin attack,' said P Vijaya, District Fisheries Officer. 'It has been six days and there's no news of him,' says C Devi, Yerraya's elder sister. Marlin attacks are not uncommon along Andhra Pradesh's northern coast with the fish, weighing 80-200 kg, sometimes getting caught in the nets of unsuspecting fishermen. In February 2022, fisherman Molli Joganna was impaled by a marlin along the Anakapalli coast. As Joganna tried hauling in the catch, the marlin, which had broken free, pierced his stomach with its long, sharp snout. Joganna's body was retrieved from the sea. 'At least his body was found. My brother is missing,' says Devi. Yerraya family and the other villagers in Pudimadaka say they are not surprised he volunteered to haul in the marlin. 'He loved the sea. He started accompanying our father to the sea when he was seven,' says Bhavani, Yerraya's younger sister. Marlins, if netted well, are a bonus for the fishermen as the meaty fish sells for Rs 1,000 a kg, almost as much as seerfish. But the fish is also hunted for sport. 'It is considered an adventure to net a marlin and bring it to the shore. Yerraya would always be the first to take on a challenge. No wonder he tried pulling the marlin into the boat,' says Devi. Venkata Ramana, sarpanch of Pudimadaka village and a fisherman himself, says, 'From what the other fishermen told me, the line got heavy but Yerraya was adamant that he could pull the line and catch the fish, however big it may have been. But then things went out of control. To net a marlin is considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.' According to the AP Traditional Fisher Workers Union, between 2015 and 2025, around 200 fishermen have gone missing in the sea during deep-water fishing. 'There are several cases which have gone unreported too,' says K Varalakshmi of the fisher workers' union. Devi says there was more to Yerraya than his fishing. He liked boxing, bodybuilding, and adored film star-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan. 'He wanted to be a bouncer or a security guard for Pawan Kalyan. In 2019, he went all the way to Kadapa to see if he can meet someone who knew the star. He didn't succeed, but kept hoping he would work with Pawan Kalyan's security staff some day,' says Devi. Though Yerraya is yet to be found, at his home in Pudimadaka, relatives have gathered to hold a funeral of sorts. 'No one is searching for him anymore. They say he is buried at sea,' says Devi. 'We have no hope he will return.'
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Ship ‘arrested' after Kerala claims damages: How do admiralty suits work?
The Kerala High Court on Monday ordered the conditional 'arrest' of Liberian container ship MSC Akiteta II, currently anchored at Thiruvananthapuram's Vizhinjam port, over compensation claims arising from the sinking of the MSC Elsa III in May. The order came after the Kerala government filed an admiralty suit — a legal proceeding pertaining to maritime law and disputes — in the High Court. The suit named the Mediterranean Shipping Company, one of whose firms operates and manages the MSC Akiteta II. Another company of the same group operated the MSC Elsa III. The government has sought compensation of Rs 9,531 crore for the alleged pollution of Kerala's marine ecosystem due to the sinking of MSC Elsa III on May 25, around 25 km southwest of Alappuzha. The ship went down with more than 600 containers, some of which carried plastic pellets, hazardous substances, and diesel. What law governs maritime disputes? The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Act, 2017 governs maritime disputes in India. Under the Act, admiralty suits can be filed for maritime claims such as damage to ships, ownership and agreement disputes, loss of life, wage issues, and environmental damage. The 2017 law replaced the colonial-era Admiralty Court Act, 1861, and Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890. The previous laws gave jurisdiction only to the High Courts of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, as these were the only major ports in India earlier. Now, the HCs of Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh also have jurisdiction over maritime disputes. The jurisdiction of the courts extends up to the territorial waters of their respective jurisdictions. The limit of territorial waters is up to 12 nautical miles from the nearest point of a low-water line along the coast. This also includes the seabed, subsoil (the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface), and airspace above it. What does the law say about claims over environmental damages? The Kerala government has sought compensation for environmental damage under Section 4 of the Admiralty Act. This section states that the HC 'may exercise jurisdiction to hear and determine any question on a maritime claim, against any vessel, arising out of…damage… caused by the vessel to the environment…; measures taken to… remove such damage; compensation for such damage,' etc. Apart from the Admiralty Act, other laws too address issues of compensation and accountability in such cases. Under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, ship owners are liable for oil pollution damage in the event of leaks. The Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers authorities to take action against polluters. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) can also be approached to seek environmental compensation. In 2016, the Tribunal ordered a Panama-based shipping company to pay Rs 100 crore in damages for an oil spill after its vessel M V Rak sank off the Mumbai coast in 2011. So what does Kerala's admiralty suit say? The Kerala government's admiralty suit sought the arrest of the MSC Akiteta II until compensation was paid to the state. In maritime law, the arrest of a ship refers to a legal procedure where a court or other competent authority detains a vessel to secure a maritime claim against it or its owner. The court found merit in the maritime claims of the Kerala government, it ordered the detention of the MSC Akiteta II until Rs 9,531 crore was deposited or security was furnished by the owners of the vessel. 'It is averred in the plaint that the damage occurred on account of oil pollution caused by the said vessel and pollution caused by the cargo in 643 containers carried in the said vessel. It is averred that the compensation is computed in accordance with the Central Pollution Control Board Guidelines,' the court order said. Of the Rs 9,531 crore claim, Rs 8,626.12 crore has been sought for environmental damage caused due to the sinking of MSC Elsa III, and Rs 378.48 crore for the remediation work to minimise, prevent or remove the damage caused to the environment by the capsized ship. An amount of Rs 526.51 crore has been sought for economic losses caused to fishermen in Kerala. An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
