Thanjai fishermen threaten to boycott Assembly elections

Thiruchirapalli

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Mechanised Boats Owners Association in Pattukkottai on Monday, in which the members said that more than 80 per cent of boats were dependent on diesel and the hike has affected the livelihood of thousands of fishermen. They said that they have already been facing several problems in their day to day activities and the unchecked rise in fuel price has forced them to spend a huge part of their income on fuel. They demanded to waive all sorts of taxes levied on diesel for fishing. “As we have been using diesel in the sea it causes no environmental hazard. The state government should recommend the Centre to waive these taxes so that the price rise can be controlled for fishermen,” said A Thajudeen, general secretary of the association.