The Hindu : Fishing boats set ablaze at Mappila Bay

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 29, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Fishing boats set ablaze at Mappila Bay

By Our Staff Reporter

KANNUR, MARCH 28. Four large fishing boats that were moored at the Mappila Bay Fishing Harbour at Ayikkara here were set ablaze by unidentified miscreants in the early hours today.

A tense situation prevailed in the town this morning as irate fishermen staged a sit-in on the Fort Road here blocking traffic towards the Ayikkara area, hardly three kilometres from the town. There was also an undeclared hartal in the town in the morning in protest against the burning of the four 60-foot-long fibre boats owned by two groups of fishermen — one belonging to the 24-member pro-CPI(M) `Sakhav Azhikoden Company' and the other a partnership of eight fishermen who owned the boats named `Shiv Sena Kuttichathan'.

According to the police, the fibre boats had been berthed by the fishermen last night at Ayikkara after detaching the outboard engines. Local fishermen were the first to notice the fire at around 5 a.m. While three boats, including two `Shiv Sena Kuttichathan' boats, were completely gutted, one was partially damaged. A winch attached to one of the damaged boats had also been destroyed, Fisheries officials said.

The loss is estimated to be between Rs.15 lakhs and Rs.25 lakhs. The Fisheries Deputy Director, P. Sahadevan, said efforts were under way to estimate the loss.

A tense situation prevailed for a few hours in the morning as irate fishermen belonging to the CPI(M), BJP and the Araya Samajam took out a protest march in the town and staged a sit-in on the Fort Road at 8-30 a.m. blocking traffic. A group of supporters barged into a bar here and damaged the bar counter demanding that the bar down shutters in support of the hartal.

The District Collector, K.S. Srinivas, and the Superintendent of Police, Manoj Abraham, soon reached the spot and convened a meeting of leaders of political parties and trade unions at the office of the Fisheries Deputy Director. Among those who attended the meeting were the Azhikode MLA, T.K. Balan, the Fish Workers Welfare Fund Board chairman, A.P. Jayasheelan, the Kannur municipal chairperson, M.C. Sreeja, and the BJP leader, O.K. Vasu.

The meeting decided to recommend to the Government to pay compensation for the destroyed fibre boats. The SP would personally take up the investigation into the incident. It was also decided to set up a permanent police outpost at the fishing harbour from today. ed to entrust the Harbour Engineering Department with the task of preparing a project report on the breakwater proposal.

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