The fishermen’s strike against the Vizhinjam port should be withdrawn against the backdrop of the State government’s decision to appoint an expert committee to study whether shoreline changes along the coast of Thiruvananthapuram are port-induced, P.P. Chittaranjan, general secretary of the Kerala State Fishermen Federation that is affiliated to the CITU, has said.
He was speaking after inaugurating the protest dharna organised in front of the Thiruvananthapuram AG’s office, under the leadership of the Kerala State Fishermen’s Federation, against the Central government’s move to open up the sea for foreign and domestic monopolies by excluding traditional fishermen from deep-sea fishing.
The Central government is planning an amendment to the law to impose heavy fines and imprisonment for fishing vessels beyond 12 nautical miles. The move would be opposed by organising a protest of thousands of fishermen in front of the Parliament, he said.
