Karwar: A high-level meeting was convened in Kumta Taluk of Uttara Kannada by the leaders of different fishermen community organisations to discuss the disappearance of Suvarna Tribhuja fishing boat of Malpe.
Speaking in the meeting, fishermen’s leader Ganapathi Ulvekar said that the fishermen community demands to lift the wreckage of the drowned Suvarna Tribhuja boat from the sea. The Indian Navy had confirmed that they had found the wreckage deep sea, from where it went missing five months ago with seven fishermen on board. There has been no clue about the fishermen on board even after five months.
It was the duty of the fishing community to fight for tracing their fellow fishermen. The incident of seven missing fishermen has created anxiety among the fishing community, the leaders said.
On May 1 the Naval officers had informed that Suvarna Tribhuja was found near Malwan coast in Sindudurga district of Maharashtra, 33 nautical miles away from the shore and about 60 km deep in the sea. There were doubts that the Naval ship INS Kochi had collided with the fishing boat. The investigating officials had expressed their doubt in this regard four days into the investigation.
Now that the boat was found by the navy why were they not making any attempts to lift the boat from the sea? Why was no one attempting to search for the fishermen in the boat were the questions left unanswered, said the fishermen leaders.
The fishing community should force the state and central government to arrange to lift the boat from the sea immediately and find out about the seven missing fishermen, demanded Ganapathi Ulvekar.
Ganapathi Mangre, TB Harikantha leaders of fishermen organisations spoke in the meeting.
