Traditional fishermen want fiberglass boats to be allowed for attending festival at Katchatheevu
The Hindu
Rameswaram fishermen protest for fiberglass boats at St. Antony's Church festival, seeking affordable travel options for all attendees.
Rameswaram traditional fishermen association on Wednesday staged a protest demanding the authorities to allow them to use fiberglass reinforced plastic motorised boats for attending the annual celebrations at the St. Antony’s Church in Katchatheevu,
Protesters said both mechanized boats and country boats were allowed to attend the festival.
Traditional fishermen from places like Olaikuda, Sangumal, SK Patti, among others could not afford spending ₹1,300 for a person to travel in the mechanized boats, said, an advocate J. Brinso Raymond.
“We appealed to the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court to permit fiberglass boats which could accommodate about nine to ten people at an affordable rate,” he added.
The court in 2024 ordered the district administration and the fisheries department to decide on the matter for allowing fiberglass boats, but no communication for allowing the boats was given yet, he alleged.
The officials who claim that the fiberglass boats would be dangerous for the passengers, should inspect their stability and give permit, he said.
While traditional fishermen were the ones who attended the festival from the time it was started, now due to their inability to spend money they were unable to attend the festival, Mr. Raymond said.
The Congress government including controversial farm legislations that had been brought in and later withdrawn by the BJP-led government at the Centre as the reference points for the Karnataka Agriculture Prices Commission (KAPC) has ruffled the feathers of farmers’ leaders and agricultural economists who had expressed their ideological support to the Congress.
Congress party's central leadership takes action against MLC Teenmaar Mallanna for burning copies of socio-economic caste survey.
Kochi Water Metro offers electric-hybrid ferry rentals for backwater tours, film shooting, and group trips at ₹15,000/hour.
Private stage carriage bus operators on the Mangaluru-Udupi-Kundapur sector held a token demonstration protesting the ‘unlawful’ toll collection at Hejmady, Sasthana, and Shiroor toll plazas in Udupi district on Kochi-Panvel National Highway 66.
Madurai High Court directs committee to preserve Vaigai River, DRO to update on progress, hearing set for February 6.
TGSRTC sees earnings spike on key routes in Greater Hyderabad Zone, attributed to initiatives like Mahalakshmi Scheme and route monitoring.
The first phase of the drive was launched in Bengaluru on Wednesday by actor Sruthi Hariharan in the presence of obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Padmini Prasad. Girls in the age group of 9-14 years will be vaccinated in Bengaluru and Chennai as part of this collaboration in multiple phases.
Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission opens new bench in Belagavi for faster resolution of consumer disputes.
Madras High Court condemns police seizure of journalists' phones, upholds press freedom, and restricts intrusive investigation practices.
345 graduands conferred degrees at Anna University constituency colleges in Madurai, Dindigul, and Ramanathapuram; chief guest V. Veerappan presented.
Poor maintenance of AC buses in Tiruchi and Madurai regions by TNSTC causing discomfort among passengers, despite periodic checks.
Govt. is focused on making Vizag Steel Plant thrive again, says Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Lokesh. Endeavour is to achieve peak production at the plant in three months, he says. He also requests Steel Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to give permission to the ArcelorMittal - Nippon Steel for the establishment of a plant near Anakapalli. He says Union IT and Electronics Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has been receptive to the proposal put forth by him for the development of a data city in Visakhapatnam.
Railway Board ‘circular’ rekindles hope of retaining Waltair Division in Visakhapatnam. As per the circular that has gone viral on social media, one part of the division, comprising several sections spread over 410 km, will be retained under the new SCoR zone and renamed as ‘Visakhapatnam Division’.