Fishermen end strike, venture into sea

The fishermen in Malpe have left for deep-sea fishing after the police promised of security for them.

The fishermen from Malpe were allegedly assaulted and looted of cash and fish by miscreants at deep sea off Rathnagiri Coast in Maharashtra recently. Enraged over the incident, the fishermen had begun indefinite strike. MLA Pramod Madhwaraj had taken a delegation to chief minister to hold talks with the fishermen.

The chief minister, in turn, had directed the senior police officers to solve the problem.

Deep Sea Fishermen Association’s former president Sathish Amin Padukere said, “As per the fishing rules, fishermen can carry out fishing within 12 nautical miles. Unfortunately, when fishermen from Malpe were carrying out fishing near Maharashtra (within Karnataka zone), a few miscreants gained entry into the boat and assaulted the fishermen and robbed them of the valuables.

The police had failed to take action against the culprits even after filing complaints. On the other hand, the police in Malpe were failing to receive complaints as the incident had taken place outside the jurisdiction of the police station.”

Now, the police have promised to set up a 24-hour helpline and also to strengthen the beat system. The police have also agreed to file complaints in Malpe police station, if the fishermen are assaulted and robbed in mid-sea. Hence, the fishermen have decided to end the protest. Even the chief minister has also promised to protest the interest of fishermen.

Loss of Rs 29 lakh
Recently, three incidents of assaulting fishermen from Malpe near Maharashtra have been reported.

In a complaint, boat owner Mahesh Karkera said a group of 40 persons barged into the boat and assaulted the fishermen when the fishermen were fishing in his boat on December 12.

He claimed that he has incurred a loss of Rs 9 lakh. In another complaint, boat owners Janardhan Kadekar and Divya Sanjay said that they have lost Rs 10 lakh each to miscreants while fishing.