Kasimedu fishermen in Chennai have decided to begin an indefinite stop-work protest over seven Tamil Nadu boats that have remained held in Andhra Pradesh for more than 100 days, demanding State and Central government intervention to secure their release.
The protest is expected to begin in about ten days, after boats currently away on long fishing voyages return to Kasimedu fishing harbour. The decision was taken at a meeting attended by boat owners, vendors, loaders, ice sellers, net menders and other stakeholders dependent on the harbour’s fishing activity, according to representatives of the Chennai Visai Padagu Meenavar Nala Sangam.
Manivannan, who is associated with the organisation, said the meeting agreed on the indefinite stoppage of work. The seven boats were reportedly detained in April, shortly after the annual fishing ban ended. Fishermen quoted in the report linked the detentions to tensions over fishing activity near the Andhra Pradesh coast and the earlier detention of boats from Karaikal.
M.E. Raghupathi, another representative of the association, said boats belonging to Karaikal had previously been held and later moved away quietly. He said boats from the Union Territory had been seen fishing close to the coast, affecting the catch available to artisanal fishing craft. The fishermen’s account describes the dispute as part of a recurring conflict over access to coastal fishing grounds.
Community leader M.D. Dayalan said the State government had not announced financial assistance for the affected boat owners. He said the owners were single-boat operators and had been left without support while their vessels remained detained. Dayalan also said that thousands of fishermen from Andhra Pradesh work as labourers on Tamil Nadu boats, which is one reason boats from Chennai fish off the Andhra coast. He said the fishermen operate beyond the five-nautical-mile limit.
The fishermen have asked the Tamil Nadu government to seek the Centre’s intervention to secure the boats. Nanjil Ravi, another community leader, said the dispute should be pursued with the same seriousness as other inter-State issues. He referred to continuing disagreements over fishing rights in Pulicat, where the boundary between the two States has also been a source of conflict.
Some fishermen have additionally called for a halt to the sale of fish from Andhra Pradesh at Chintadripet and Vanagaram fish markets. The demand would affect the movement and sale of fish in Chennai, although the report does not specify whether the government or market authorities have acted on it.
Boat owners said Kasimedu vessels are detained by villages in Andhra Pradesh almost every year and are sometimes released after a ransom is paid. They said the present episode has acquired greater political significance because opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh have raised the issue. According to one boat owner quoted in the report, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said he would stand with fishermen in his State.
The immediate next step is the return of the boats currently on long voyages, followed by the proposed indefinite protest at Kasimedu. The fishermen are seeking government action to retrieve the seven vessels and financial assistance for the affected owners.