Kollam diocese pastoral letter flays LDF govt over moves inimical to fishermen

fishing-illustration
Moves against fishermen and the fisheries sector should be defeated utilising the democratic rights, urged the pastoral letter.

Kollam: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon has hit out at the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala for taking decisions aimed at destroying the livelihood of fishermen and selling out the fisheries sector to monopolies. This was apparently in reference to a controversial move of the state government to allow a US entity to conduct fishing in the deep seas off the Kerala coast apart from carrying out fish processing on the shore.

The pastoral letter written by Bishop Dr Paul Antony Mullassery, which criticised the government severely, was read out in churches coming under the diocese on Sunday.

Such moves against fishermen and the fisheries sector should be defeated utilising the democratic rights, urged the pastoral letter.

The MoU signed with (the American firm) EMCC for deep sea trawling was scrapped following vehement protests by the Opposition, but the revelation that attempts were made to amend even state laws to facilitate the entry of big monopoly into the fisheries sector was startling, the letter further stated.

It said the conspiracy to destroy the fisheries sector by giving an upper hand to big monopoly through the controversial deal has shocked everyone.

The letter also critcised the government for promulgating the Kerala Fish Auction and Sales Management Ordinance during the Covid-19 lockdown without holding any consultations with the stakeholders.

"In the name of blue economy there is a move by central government to give permission for mining minerals from sea. There is also a move to shift fisherfolk en masse from coastal areas as part of the project," the Church cautioned in the letter.

(Blue economy refers to the economics relating to the exploitation and preservation of the marine environment.)

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