Fishermen seek allowance as paid in Tamil Nadu, Kerala

Ongole: The annual 61 days fishing ban in the Bay of Bengal is about to end by June 14 in the state. The ban is successfully implemented by force, but the government failed to provide allowance to fishermen for obstructing their livelihood for two months.

The officials concerned said that they are late due to introduction of a transparent system for benefit of fishermen and promises to disburse allowances by  the last day of ban.

The annual fishing ban is being imposed every year to ensure a safe breeding season for various marine species. In the ban period, no mechanised and motorised fishing boat or vessel should enter the sea. The fishermen are forced to stay away from fishing in these two months by accepting a package of Rs 4,000 per head as allowance from the government.

To get compensation from the government, the fishermen should register themselves with fisheries department before the start of ban period. The officials verify the details and sanction the allowance. In Prakasam district, there are about 75 fishermen villages with 4,000 motorised boats or trawlers and 45 mechanised boats.

About six people work on trawlers while eight people work on mechanised boats and they all should receive the allowance during the ban period. But for the last few years, the government didn’t pay allowance at least once before the end of ban period. This year also the officials neither finalised the number of beneficiaries nor updated their details for bank transfer.

M Balaram, assistant director of fisheries department, said they are introducing direct beneficiary transfer system for payment of allowance to fishermen. He said once the documents of fishermen were verified by the system, they will initiate the payment immediately and said that he is expected to complete the payments by June 14.

He said the new system would provide transparent service to fishermen community. However, the fishermen claim the allowance is not sufficient for two months and demanded that the government increase it to four times. Pikki Ramana, a fisherman in Pakala area, said the prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing every year, but there is no raise in their compensation. 

He alleged that the government wants them to take Rs 4,000 for two months to sit without work and demanded that the government increase the allowance on par with allowance in the neighbouring states Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which is around Rs 15,000 for the same period.

The fishermen also demanded that the government include them in other programmes like MGNREGS to provide a livelihood during the ban period. They  also demanded that the government provide old age pensions and conduct regular eye testing camps for fishermen.

Kokkiligadda Subrahmanyam, a fisherman in Kothapatnam, said if the government includes the fishermen in MGNREGS works, they may get a second income to meet their needs. 

He said the fishermen lose eye sight early due to sea water and loses grip on hands and legs and becomes obsolete before they reach age of 50 years. He demanded that the government sanction old age pensions to fishermen aged above 50 years and offer free eye treatment to all in the community.