PANAJI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued an order imposing a uniform fishing ban on mechanised boats applicable from June 10 to August 15, in all the five coastal States.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Y.K. Sabarwal and Justice C. K. Thakker issued the order in the form of an interim relief on a petition filed by Goa-based non governmental organisation Goa Environment Federation (GEF) in the Apex Court under Article 32 on July 13 last year. The petition has been admitted, Ms. Patricia Pinto and Claud Alvares of GEF told The Hindu .

The order is applicable to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. The other relief that the GEF sought was that the States be asked to take all appropriate measures, as enlisted in the Bombay High Court judgment earlier on monsoon ban, for compliance of the uniform ban; that the Supreme Court quash Karnataka Government order of May 4, 2005 which imposes the ban from June 10 to July 31 as well as the Goa Government order of reducing the ban period to July 31. The Supreme Court order has sought to protect the traditional fishermen by making an exception in the ban for the mechanised canoes, which use less than 10 HP motors.

It may be noted that while Gujarat and Maharashtra had favoured the uniform ban, it was the other three States, which will now have to comply with.

The Union Ministry of Agriculture too had supported the petition of the GEF. As per a notification issued by the Ministry on May 12, 2003, it had imposed a uniform ban for all the five States under consideration, but its ban in reality was applicable only to Union Government Waters beyond 12 km., and extended till Exclusive Economic Zone.

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