The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday directed Tamil Nadu government to file counter affidavit to a public interest litigation petition that sought a direction to the authorities to enhance relief amount payable to fishermen in Tamil Nadu during the annual fishing ban season.

A Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and M. Jothiraman was hearing the petition filed by G. Thirumurugan of Ramanathapuram district.

The petitioner said every year the State government imposes a 61-day fishing ban period from April 15 to June 14 in order to protect the marine resources and to facilitate breeding and spawning of fish species in the interest of ecological balance and long-term sustainability of marine wealth.

He said the coastal fishing villages situated on the Arabian Sea side of Kanniyakumari district: Thoothoor, Eraviputhenthurai, Vallavilai, Neerodi, Chinnathurai, Poothurai, Colachel and adjoining coastal regions were governed by the West Coast marine fishing regulation pattern and not by the East Coast fishing schedule followed in the Bay of Bengal region.

Mechanised and deep-sea fishing vessels operating from the Arabian Sea coast of Kanniyakumari district were subjected to separate statutory fishing ban period from June 1 to July 31 in line with the West coast fishing ban enforced in Kerala and other west coast regions, he said.

During this period, thousands of fishermen families depending on deep-sea fishing activities were completely deprived of their livelihood and income. Therefore they were entitled to adequate compensation and welfare assistance from the authorities, he said.

Unless adequate compensation was granted, the fishermen families would be pushed into debt traps, bonded labour, exploitative private loans and forced migration during every fishing ban season, he said.

He sought a direction to the authorities to provide a minimum relief assistance of ₹20,000 per month to the registered fishermen and fishermen families in Tamil Nadu.