Mangaluru : At a meeting chaired by the Minister for Youth Empowerment, Sports and Fisheries, K Abhayachandra Jain at the DC’s office hall here on Monday to discuss the problems of fishermen, Principal Secretary to the department of Fisheries Veerappa Gowda said the department has written to Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments on the issue and has asked their respective departments to see to it that border regulations are not violated by their fishermen.

Gowda made this statement in the wake of complaints filed by the fishermen from the district saying that the other states’ fishermen have been carrying out fishing activities using mechanised boats in the sea falling under the limits of the state.

He asked the fishermen to note down the registration numbers of the other state boats and to inform them to the respective department, whenever they find cross border fishing activities by other states.

He requested all the fishermen to obtain biometric identity cards. The department will conduct camps in beach areas in the district between June 20 and 30 to enrol fishermen for biometric cards. Minister Jain said the government has requested the Centre to release its share in the subsidies of fishermen.

He also said that the Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation (KFDC) has been asked to develop the fish market at State Bank Circle, which lacks basic facilities.

Noting that the survey work on the development works at the wharf has not been carried out from the last six years, he directed the department’s deputy director to take up the work soon. The latter said works worth Rs 55.20 crore have been completed out of the total works amounting to Rs 60.64 crore. Rs 31 crore is needed for the development works of the third phas, he added.

The fishermen complained that the fishing nets of country boats are being damaged causing a great loss as the sand miners anchor their mechanised boats for a long time.

President of Zilla Panchayat Meenakshi Shanthigodu, Mangaluru South MLA J R Lobo, Mangaluru City Corporation Mayor K Harinath and Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim were present on the occasion.