Fishermen Protest Coastal Intrusions, Seek Probe into Missing Boats
These intrusions, they said, caused severe damage to their livelihoods over the past decade.
Nellore:Tension is escalating along Andhra Pradesh’s coastline as fishermen from Tirupati, Nellore, Prakasam and Bapatla districts voice strong protest against repeated intrusions by high-speed mechanised boats from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.
These intrusions, they said, caused severe damage to their livelihoods over the past decade.
Hundreds of fishermen from nearly 164 villages assembled at Pakala village in Singarayakonda mandal on Monday to decide on their future course of action. In a closed-door meeting, they demanded that the police stay away.
Traditional fishermen, dependent on small boats and near-shore fishing, complained that massive “Cuddalore boats”—often 60–70 feet in height—are entering the Andhra waters, destroying fishing nets, damaging boats and engines, and at times posing risks to their lives.
These unchecked operations, they said, have depleted fish resources, leaving even basic catch scarce and threatening the survival of lakhs of families.
The immediate trigger for the unrest is the mysterious disappearance of seized “Sona boats” from Juvvaladinne fishing harbour ten days ago. The boats, belonging to fishermen from Karaikal in Puducherry, had earlier been seized for illegal fishing.
Fishermen allege they were quietly moved back overnight with the help of unidentified individuals, raising suspicions of a collusion.
They questioned the government’s “indifference” and demanded a thorough probe to identify those responsible, along with steps to prevent such incidents in future.
Police have stepped up vigil in the region. Ongole DSP Rayapati Srinivasa Rao visited the village and urged fishermen to remain peaceful. He said police deployment was offered but declined by organisers, who termed it an internal meeting.
Meanwhile, minister Dola Sreebala Veeranjaneya Swamy announced measures including deployment of four patrol boats to curb illegal fishing and highlighted the ongoing `88-crore Juvvaladinne fishing harbour project aimed at supporting around 25,000 fishing families.
Key demands of fishermen:
Return of missing seized boats and handing them over to local fishermenCompensation from Tamil Nadu fishermen for losses over the past 10 years
Round-the-clock coastal surveillance with high-speed patrol boats
Strict enforcement of the 22-km no-fishing zone for large vessels
Disclosure of those responsible for releasing seized boats from Juvvaladinne