Lok Sabha Debates
Need To Retrieve Kachatheevu Island From Sri Lanka And To Deepen The Sea Along The ... on 1 December, 2015
Sixteenth Loksabha an> Title: Need to retrieve Kachatheevu Island from Sri Lanka and to deepen the sea along the Indian coast.
SHRI V. ELUMALAI (ARANI): Thank you, Speaker Madam, for allowing me to raise the matter of urgent public interest during ‘Zero Hour’.
Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had a meeting with the hon. Prime Minister on 03/06/2014 and insisted for retrieving Katchatheevu Island back from Sri Lanka and to stop frequent arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy personnel. But time and again Sri Lankan Navy and the Government of Sri Lanka are involved in arresting Tamil Nadu fishermen. On 29/11/2015, eight fishermen fishing on Bak Chaluchandi near Neduntheevu, which is in our own sea territory, were arrested.
Already 29 Tamil fishermen were in Sri Lankan jail. This is happening day by day. In total 37 fishermen and 53 boats have been used to ensure safe release of arrested Indian fishermen and retrieval of their seized fishing boats. This is under the agreements of 1974 and 1976 that Kachatheevu was handed over to Sri Lanka. Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has filed a case in the hon. Supreme Court. High level talks between the two countries are going on. Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Dr. Amma has praised this initiative.
I would urge upon the hon. Prime Minister that he should intervene and get back Kachatheevu from Sri Lanka. Kachatheevu should be the part of our territory as it existed before. I would also urge upon the Union Government to deepen the fishing areas along the Indian Coast by allocating Rs.10 crore per year and with the total project outlay of Rs.1520 crore as demanded by the hon. Chief Minister Amma so that the livelihood of thousands of Indian fishermen particularly of Tamil Nadu is protected.
डॉ. किरिट पी. सोलंकी को श्री वी.एलुमलाई द्वारा उठाए गए विषय के साथ संबद्ध करने की अनुमति प्रदान की जाती है।