The Hindu : Coastal hartal total

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 04, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Coastal hartal total

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB. 3. A coastal hartal was organised in Kerala today to protest against the issue of licences by the Centre to foreign fishing ships.

Fish workers did not go out to sea as part of the hartal. Shops and commercial establishments in the coastal areas remained closed.

The fish workers took out marches in district centres. In Thiruvananthapuram, a march was taken out to the AG's office. It was inaugurated by the general secretary of the CITU, P.K. Gurudasan, and addressed by the leaders of other trade unions and organisations.

The Kerala Fisheries' Coordination Committee, consisting of some three- dozen organisations that had spearheaded the action described it as a big success.

New committee appointed

Our Staff Reporter writes from Kochi

The State Government appointed at least seven committees and put into cold storage the recommendations of most of them. However, the other day, the Union Government appointed a national-level committee to study the impact of the `closed season on fisheries along the maritime States' of the country. The Committee headed by the Director of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mohan Joseph Modayil, has the Commissioner of Fisheries of Andhra Pradesh, Director General of Fisheries Survey of India and representatives of maritime States as members. The Committee has been asked to evaluate the impact of the `closed season' in increasing fishery resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the country and to examine the population characteristics and sustainability of fisheries. The committee is expected to submit its report within six months.

The committee would not be holding any public sittings but will collect scientific inputs from various research organisations. The representatives of the State Governments would also furnish their viewpoints, Mr. Modayil said.

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