Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s urgent intervention to stop the proposed auction of over 100 boats belonging to Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka and to obtain its concurrence for a proposed visit of state government officials.
Sri Lanka has initiated action for auctioning 105 fishing boats belonging to Tamil Nadu fishermen from February 7 to 11.
“This is not legal and also a matter of grave concern and therefore must be stopped,” Mr Stalin said in a letter to PM Modi.
The Chief Minister said that last month he had written to him and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as well urging ‘to finalise the efforts’ for the transparent disposal of 125 ‘unsalvageable’ Tamil Nadu boats that were apprehended by Lankan Navy before 2018. Also, he had requested steps to ensure early release of 75 boats and fishing gears seized after 2018.
Following this, the External Affairs Ministry on January 28 informed Tamil Nadu that the matter had been taken up with Lankan authorities. The Centre assured that Lanka would not proceed with the announced auction of fishing boats.
It was said that Sri Lanka also had concurred with the proposed visit of Tamil Nadu officials for this purpose and that they had requested fresh dates.
(NDTV)
(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by NDTV has not been edited by SLM staff)
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