Several marine fishermen, mechanised boat operators and small fishing boat owners under the fold of Maa Ramchandi Boat Owners Association on Monday staged a demonstration in front of Jamboo Marine Police Station protesting against the mid-sea terror by the Baleswar–based trawlers at Gahirmatha Sanctuary area.
The demonstrators demanded before the marine police personnel to take stern action against the trawler operators who are harassing the small fishing boats in the deep sea. Jamboo Marine Police Station IIC Pradyumna Nayak said the Kharanashi-based demonstrators alleged that the trawlers unlawfully intruded into the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary for catching fish in last few days and assaulted the small mechanised fishing boats and forcibly took away their fishing nets after dashing their small mechanised boats with their big trawlers in the deep sea. The incident occurred at 25 km off Barunei mouth. They also lodged an FIR against the trawlers of Baleswar for their highhandedness. Jamboo Marine police lodged an FIR bearing case no 17/15 under various sections of IPC and started an investigation, informed the IIC.
Notably, though a fishing ban has been in force along 20-km off the coast of Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in accordance with Sections 2, 7 and 4 of Odisha Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA), 1982 and provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, but trawling operation is in full swing due to an unholy nexus between the forest personnel and the trawler operators.