The Central government of India will ask Sri Lanka for the release of fishermen’s boats that have been detained after the Sri Lanka Navy arrested the Tamil Nadu fishermen for illegally fishing in the island’s waters.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Radha Mohan Singh has said India will ask Sri Lanka for the release of more than 140 mechanized boats, confiscated and impounded by the Sri Lankan government, The Hindu reported.
Speaking to the media in Rameswaram on Monday the Union minister has said the Joint Working Group (JWG), followed by Ministerial meeting, scheduled to be held later this month would take up the issue.
He said the JWG and Ministerial level meetings were scheduled for July 5 and 6 in Colombo, but had to be postponed after the Sri Lankan cabinet reshuffle.
The meeting is likely to be held by the end of this month, where India will take up the issue of the boats, the Minister said.
The Union Minister said the Centre, in consultation with Tamil Nadu government has taken significant steps towards finding a permanent solution to the fishermen issue.
He said three JWG and Ministerial level meetings have been held so far after the formation of the JWG in November, 2016 to find a solution.
After the intervention of the Centre, the Sri Lankan government has released 1,602 fishermen arrested by their navy since May 2014, he said.
The Minister said as of date no Indian fisherman are in the Sri Lankan Jails and the Centre had also secured the release of 120 trawlers confiscated by the Lankan authorities.
He said the Center is taking efforts to get back the remaining 168 vessels- 147 mechanized boats and 21 country boats, but a team deputed by the Tamil Nadu fisheries department, which inspected the vessels last week, found only 28 of the trawlers were worth salvaging.
