Latest news with #Fisheriesdepartment
New Indian Express
01-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Sri Lankan navy arrest seven Indian fishermen for IMBL violation
RAMANATHAPURAM: The Sri Lankan Navy caught a fishing boat and arrested seven Indian fishermen hailing from Rameswaram and Thangachi Madam for IMBL violation in the late hours of Monday. The arrested Fishermen and their boat have been taken to the Mannar region in Sri Lanka for further legal proceedings. Fishermen associations in Ramanathapuram condemned the action. A source from the Fisheries department said that about 400 boats from Rameswaram ventured into the sea on Monday. A cluster of fishing boats were said to have entered Sri Lankan water, who were later chased away by the Sri Lankan navy patrol unit. One of the boats that remained in the Sri Lankan waters was caught by the Sri Lankan navy, and the seven fishermen who were on board were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy for IMBL violation. Sources said that the captured boat is owned by Arokiya Daniel of Thangachi Madam. Details of the arrested fishermen have been sent to official concern for further legal proceedings. The Fishermen association from Rameswaram condemned the arrest of Indian fishermen. On Sunday, about eight Rameswaram fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy, and on Tuesday another seven Fishermen were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy. They urged the union government to take action towards immediate action to release the fishermen and retrieve the seized boats.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Singapore-flagged ship fire: Coastal surveillance stepped up amid efforts to recover containers that fell into sea
The Coastal police have issued fresh instructions to fishermen, coastal vigilance committees and local fishermen families along the Malabar coast to be alert against the hazardous containers which fell into the sea from Wan Hai 503, the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel that caught fire nearly 88 nautical miles off the Kerala's Beypore coast on June 9. Rescue boats of the Coastal police are carrying out continuous patrol to address the safety concerns and instantly attend to suspicious sightings of any consignments adrift. Along with the Coastal police, the Marine Enforcement squads of the Fisheries department are in action to support the surveillance measures. Fisheries department officials confirmed that the sea patrol is being carried out regularly with the support of a five-member squad. On Thursday, navy personnel airdropped dry chemical powder on the burning cargo ship Wan Hai 503 in a bid to arrest the fire that's been raging for over two days. 📹 Indian Navy — The Hindu (@the_hindu) June 12, 2025 'We have asked the fishermen who venture out to the seas on country boats and boats fitted with on-board engines during this trawling ban period to be cautious. The biggest relief is that all mechanised boats are back to the shores in the wake of the trawling ban,' said a senior Fisheries department official. He said instructions had already been passed to all harbour development committees in the northern Kerala region to support the surveillance measures. According to Indian Coast Guard (ICG) sources, the ship carrying 2,128 metric tons of fuel, hundreds of containers including hazardous cargo, has been posing a significant threat to the marine environment and nearby shipping routes. The fire persisting in the inner decks and areas near the fuel tank continue to be the challenge and efforts are on to douse the fire by Thursday evening, they said. Towing process On Wednesday, an ICG helicopter was able to winch five members of the salvage team and an air crew diver onto the burning vessel to complete the towing process in a challenging situation. It was carried out under difficult circumstances withstanding the adverse weather conditions. An ICG communication on Thursday also said that towing the vessel to a safer location to avert a potential ecological disaster would be the top priority along with the intensified firefighting measures using dry chemical powder, which would be further supported by the Indian Air Force and the salvors appointed by the vessel's owner. Five ICG ships, two Dornier aircrafts and one helicopter are now actively engaged in the operation, it said. It was on June 7 that the vessel loaded with 1,754 containers departed from Colombo to Mumbai. Of the total containers, 143 were reportedly loaded with potentially hazardous chemicals. The preliminary reports had also confirmed that 24 containers fell into the sea within a few hours after the massive fire outbreak. Though rescue teams managed to save the lives of 18 crew, four went missing. ICG sources said search was intensified with the support of more parallel forces for the missing persons
The Hindu
08-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
332 flats completed in Muttathara under Punargeham scheme
The construction of another batch of flats under the Fisheries department's Punargeham project to provide safe housing to fish worker families in districts adjoining coastal regions has been completed at Muttathara in Thiruvananthapuram. A total of 332 flats have been completed as part of the first phase in the residential complex which is proposed to have 400 flats. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the handing over of the keys to the beneficiaries a function to be held on June 27, with Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian presiding over. According to officials of the Fisheries department, the construction of the residential complex began in 2023 in 8 acres of land handed over by the Department of Dairy Development. The State government had given administrative sanction of ₹81 crore for the housing project. The Uralungal Labour Contract Co-Operative Society (ULCCS) carried out the construction activity with the Harbour Engineering Department overseeing the technical aspects of the work. The housing complex has been named 'Prathyasha'. The entire project is envisaged as 400 flats of fifty blocks having eight housing units each. Each housing unit has a plinth area of 562 square feet. The work on more housing complexes under the Punargeham project are currently progressing in various districts. The project launched in 2019 is mainly focussed on rehabilitating fishing communities living within 50 metres of the coast to safer grounds. Under the scheme, a total number 2,818 families have already been rehabilitated by constructing 2,428 individual homes and 390 flats. The government provides beneficiary families an amount of ₹10 lakh each including ₹6 lakh for buying land and ₹4 lakh for constructing houses. The amount is disbursed in instalments.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
‘Turtle nesting rises in Chennai as conservation efforts show results in Tamil Nadu'
Although Chennai saw Olive Ridley sea turtle deaths, huge compared to last year, situation has improved now, as the number of nests increased from 320 in 2024 to 450 this year and the number of eggs went up from 30,000 to 50,000, said Manish Meena, Wildlife Warden, Chennai Division. 'A joint patrolling with Sagar Mitras (a field-level interface between the government and coastal fishers), Fisheries department, Indian Coast Guard, Coastal Security Group of the Tamil Nadu Police was held to protect the turtles within the five nautical miles area where normal trawler fishing is prohibited. With the cooperation of the fishermen and the stakeholders, the turtles were protected. In one case, 16 live turtles were saved from a trawl boat and released back into the ocean,' he said. This was said at the event held to mark International Day of Biodiversity by Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation And Greening Project For Climate Change Response (TBGPCCR), Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board (TNBB), Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), National Biodiversity Authority and NGO Care Earth Trust on Thursday at the Amma Maaligai auditorium in Ripon Buildings complex. The theme was 'harmony with nature and sustainable development'. Migratory Bird Monitoring Trust (MBMT) managing trustee S. Balachandran emphasised on bird diversity, focussing on Central Asian Flyway and the importance of Tamil Nadu as a stopover for birds in his speech. Care Earth Trust founding-trustee R.J Ranjith Daniels said, earlier, the people of Tamil Nadu were aware of ways to live along with all living beings, despite being among the advanced civilisations during iron age. The programme also features songs of Tamil poet Subramania Bharati on natural resources and biodiveristy, a dance performance inspired by Irular community by Coimbatore-based school students and alumni and a musical performance by Kerala-based group Vayali. A press release mentioned the formation of over 13,600 Biodiversity Management Committees and the preparation of People's Biodiversity Registers in each.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
379 houses built under Punargeham project in Alappuzha
As many as 379 houses have been constructed under the Punargeham project of the State government in Alappuzha. Officials of the Fisheries department say 310 families have so far shifted to their new houses. Earlier, 1,212 families have informed their willingness to move from the coastline to safer places. As many as 750 beneficiaries in the district had identified land for building individual houses and completed land registration procedures. Meanwhile, the construction of an apartment complex under Punargeham for coastal residents at Mannumpuram, near Purakkad, is also inching closer to completion. As many as 204 fisher families would be relocated to the housing complex once it is ready. The facility constructed by the Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation on 3.48 acres of land has 17 blocks, each having 12 flat units. Each 491 sq ft flat unit has two bedrooms, living/dining area, kitchen and toilet. Besides, roads, drinking water, electricity, waste management systems, and compound walls are being readied. The government launched Punargeham to provide housing for all fisher families residing in areas vulnerable to coastal erosion (within 50 metres of the coastline) in nine coastal districts of the State. The government provides beneficiary families an amount of ₹10 lakh each including ₹6 lakh for buying land and ₹4 lakh for constructing houses. The amount is disbursed in instalments.
