HC directs Centre to accord financial sanction for transponders for TN fishermen

The Madras High Court Tuesday directed the Centre to accord financial sanction for installation of transponders in fishing boats that would help track their movement and prevent fishermen from crossing into Sri Lankan waters.

A bench of Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad, in an interim order on a PIL by NGO "Fishermen Care", said the transponders should be installed in about 5,000 vessels of fishermen from Tamil Nadu in a phased manner within two months.

During the earlier hearing, the court was informed by officials that fixing the transponders in fishing boats would help the fishermen know their location in realtime and not cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

Impleading the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department as respondents in the petition, the court directed the secretary of the ministry to accord financial sanction, release funds for development of necessary software and procurement and installation of transponders.

The bench impleaded the ministry and the department after Assistant Solicitor Genersal Karthikeyan, who appeared for the Centre, said only they were concerned with sanction of funds for the purpose of procuring transponders.

The PIL sought a direction to the Centre to refer all the cases of alleged violation of human rights of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka to the International Court of Justice.

Arrest of fishermen from the state by Sri Lankan naval personnel in the Palk Strait for fishing in the island nation waters has been a major issue in the state.

The bench directed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to place orders for manufacturing of the transponders immediately on receipt of the financial sanction and install the same within a period of one month thereafter.

The Tamil Nadu government should also render necessary assistance to get the financial sanction, it said.

The bench posted the PIL for further hearing to July 2.