Chennai: A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Madras high court to direct the Union government to initiate action for protecting the traditional rights and interest of fishermen and Coastal Communities.
A division bench comprising Justices S.Manikumar and Subramoniam Prasad, before whom the PIL filed by Fishermen Care by its president L.T.A.Peter Rayan came up for hearing, order notice to the Union government and posted after four weeks, further hearing of the case.
According to petitioner, after receiving suggestions and objections on the implementation of the draft CRZ notification, 2008, the union government appointed a Committee headed by Prof.N.S.Swaminathan. The Committee submitted its report on July 16, 2009 and the government accepted the recommendations mentioned in the report. One of recommendations was to enact a separate legislation along the line of Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, 2006 for securing traditional fisher family rights, he added.
He said since no action was taken thereafter, he had sought the status of the implementation of the recommendation of the committee, he was furnished with a letter wrote by the then Minister of State (independent charge), Environment and Forest, Government of India, Jairam Ramesh to the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar seeking clarification as to which ministry would initiate drafting of the legislation.
However, there was no action. Hence, he had filed a petition and this court had disposed of the same. Since there was no progress thereafter, he sent a representation to the Union government to initiate action for protecting the interest of fishermen. But, there was no response, he added.
The Committee submitted its report on July 16, 2009 and the government accepted the recommendations mentioned in the report. One of recommendations was to enact a separate legislation along the line of Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, 2006 for securing traditional fisher family rights, he added
