Fisherfolk to strike work
fishing communities all over India will go on strike on May 10, 1999 to press for "protection of the sea and the coastal areas'. "On that day, there will be no fishing, no sale of fish and no consumption of fish,' said Thomas Kocherry, coordinator of the World Forum of Fish-harvesters and Fishworkers as well as the National Alliance of Peoples' Movements. The fisherfolk have put forward a seven-point agenda before the government, Kocherry said. Their demands include that the government establish the traditional rights of the fishing communities and remove hurdles to build their houses on the coast. Besides, they have demanded the implementation of Coastal Regulation Zones (crz ) norms and the Murari Committee recommendations that restricts deep sea fishing by industrial fleets, a ban on monsoon trawling and the inclusion of fisherwomen and inland fishers in government relief schemes. "Neither the government of India nor the state governments have taken any interest in implementing crz notifications,' said Kocherry.