Ban On Deep-Sea Fishing Trawlers

The CCEA, which met at Prime Minister Deve Gowda's residence last evening, adopted most of the recommendations of the Murari committee on deep sea fishing, including its decision to seek legal opinion on compensating the licensees.

A cabinet note circulated by the food ministry had underlined "the need to evolve a proper policy to nurture deep sea fishing without jeopardising the interests of traditional fishermen."

The CCEA also cleared World Bank funding for the 400 mw NTPC power project at Kayamkulam. The Rs 1,300 crore project, cleared by the cabinet in 1995, was to be funded through internal generation and external commercial borrowings.

 

According to the revised funding plan, World Bank will provide the funds, which were earlier sought to be raised through external commercial borrowings.

The United Front government had earlier declared its intention to review the deep sea fishing policy adopted by the previous government in 1991. Fishermen all over the country have been agitating against the award of licences to large trawlers saying it threatened their livelihood.

The previous Congress government had allowed 18 joint ventures with foreign partners and awarded licences for 135 fishing vessels. Eighteen of them are currently operating in various coastal areas around the country.

Coastal areas are normally reserved for traditional fishermen, who have been complaining that the large-scale operation of trawlers in coastal areas has led to an alarming depletion in the number of fish.

A protracted agitation by traditional fishermen, supported by almost every political party, had led the government to set up the P Murari committee, which had recommended that all permits awarded to joint ventures should be cancelled.

On the pros and cons of accepting the recommendations of the Murari committee, the food ministry said the government would have to review individual licences with the licensees concerned once it decided to accept the recommendations.

The Murari committee was assisted by scientists and officials of the food processing and fisheries departments of various state governments. Sixteen MPs were also involved in preparing the report.