Mumbai: The Akhil Bhartiya Macchimar Committee comprising fisherfolks from seven districts – Palghar, Thane, Mumbai city & suburbs, Raigad, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri has demanded relief package of Rs 100 crore from the government. Committee president Damodar Tandel told the Free Press Journal, "In 2008, when Sharad Pawar was agricultural minister, Union government had acknowledged loan waiver to fishermen along with the farmers. If the Union government has no problem why the state is not lending a helping hand to fishermen. We are also farmers. The only difference is we do farming in water and they do on ground. If the state can grant relief package to farmers of Rs 34,000 crore why there is a step-motherly treatment for fisherfolks."
As fishing activity will resume from August 1, the committee has demanded immediate relief for the distressed fishermen who lost their business following cyclone disturbance in Arabian Sea in 2019, also due to lockdown and cyclone Nisarga.
Tandel said, "Government should provide Rs one lakh to each boat for buying diesel so they can revive their business and Rs 25,000 to each fishermen." Maharashtra has 720 kilometres of coastline, having seven districts where fishing is carried out on a larger scale. There are total 20,000 boats, 13,000 mechanised boats, 7,000 non-mechanised boats and around one lakh fishermen.
Tandel, asserted that the previous Devendra Fadnavis government following the cyclone disturbance in Arabian Sea in 2019 that had largely affected fisherfolks business, the seven district collectors gave a report of Rs 200 crore losses incurred but till date no money has been distributed to the affected fishermen. "Subsequently, new government came in existence and Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister and the losses report of Rs 200 crore further delayed. And now due to Cyclone Nisarga that had hit three districts Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Raigad, the cumulative losses as per our committee estimation is of Rs 25 crore. However, the Thackeray government though issued a circular to provide monetary assistance but distribution of money has not been done so far, " he accused.
As a protest, on July 27, the fisherfolks of 184 fishing docks located across Maharashtrafor will show black flags, informed Tandel.
