Indian fishermen arrive in Lankan to take back boats released by Govt

In a bid to bring  back the 42 boats that were released by the Sri Lankan government on July 29, a team of 43 fishermen reached Sri Lanka yesterday to bring back seven boats.

According to The New Indian Express the group was led by an Indian Naval Ship (INS), the 43 fishermen from Rameswaram and Mandapam sailed to Sri Lanka in seven boats to mend and bring back the seven boats that belonged to them.

Three officials from the Fisheries Department, including Deputy Director P Isaac Jayakumar and Assistant Director of Fisheries Shivakumar, have also left to Sri Lanka  to coordinate with the Lankan authorities. “Out of the 42 boats released, seven will be brought back by this team in this voyage. Subsequent batches of fishermen from the remaining coastlines such as Pudukkottai, Karaikkal and Nagapattinam will be sent to bring back the remaining boats,” Jayakumar told Express.

“The trawlers which are to be repaired are docked at the Karainagar, Kalpitiya, Kiranchi and Trincomalee ports in Sri Lanka. They will be mended at the earliest and brought back to India,” added Jayakumar.  

“The time needed to repair the seven boats cannot be determined accurately. However, it is expected to be completed in about three to four days,”P Jesuraja, District Secretary, Tamil Nadu Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association, who was a part of the seven-member inspection team told the New Indian Express .