10 TN fishermen arrested in British overseas territorial waters handed over to Indian Coast Guard
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Around 10 fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were arrested earlier this month from near the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in the Indian Ocean, and tried and fined 60,000 Pounds Sterling, were on Sunday handed over to the Indian Coast Guard.
The fishermen had ventured into fishing areas in the deep sea, around 230 nautical miles near the BIOT -- an archipelago of 58 islands covering some 640,000 sq km of ocean, a defence statement said.
The area is a British Overseas Territory, located approximately halfway between East Africa and Indonesia, and administered from London, the statement said.
The fishermen were arrested on December 6, tried at BIOT and fined 60,000 Pounds Sterling, it said and added that information regarding the same was communicated to the Indian Ocean Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on December 14.
The fishermen's boat has been seized as the fine was not paid and the 10 crew were released, it said.
The fishermen have 30 days from December 12 till January 11, 2024 to pay the fine, the statement said.
They were brought off Vizhinjam on BIOT patrol vessel 'Grampien Endurance' and were handed over at sea to Indian Coast Guard ships 'Arnavesh' and 'C 427', the statement said.
The fishermen are expected to arrive at Vizhinjam around 10 am where they will be medically examined and interrogated by agencies concerned.
Subsequently, they will be handed over to the Fisheries Department for safe passage to Tamil Nadu, the statement added.
In a similar incident, around 35 fishermen who were arrested in September for attempting to fish near the BIOT area were released to the Indian Coast Guard on November 20.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
