India –Sri Lanka Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting Today

The third meeting of on fisheries, established to address the fishermen issue is taking place in New Delhi today to discuss, among other issues, the release of fishermen arrested by Lankan navy and their boats.

The trawlers 36 belonged to Tamil Nadu fishermen and six to Karaikal fishermen  being salvaged now after they were impounded in April 2015 had suffered extensive damage, the fishermen claimed. This assumed significance as a team of officials and fishermen, who inspected the boats, ahead of salvaging 42 trawlers, ordered released by the Sri Lankan government in August, expressed concern over their condition. Fishermen claimed that engines of all the trawlers had failed and the fishermen had to spend at least Rs. 8 lakh to refurbish the boats each. Some of the boats had to be dismantled as scrap.

Hence,Indian sources said the meeting of Indian and Lankan delegates would also discuss the upkeep of the detained vessels’ in Lankan ports. Apart from this , the meeting would also discuss cooperation on patrolling and operating hotline service between the coast guards of the two countries.