Sri Lankan Navy arrests 32 Indian fishermen
Colombo, Feb 23 (PTI): Sri Lankan authorities on Sunday arrested 32 Indian fishermen and seized 5 fishing boats for allegedly venturing into the territorial waters of the island nation, the Navy said.
The Sri Lankan Navy in a statement said the arrests occurred during a special operation in the sea area north of Mannar.
"Five Indian fishing boats were seized and 32 Indian fishermen apprehended while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters," the statement said.
The Navy continues to conduct regular patrols and operations in Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing boats, taking into account the impact of those practices on the livelihood of local fishermen, the statement said.
The Navy said the arrested fishermen and their boats were brought to the Talaimannar Pier, where they will be handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Mannar for legal action.
The Navy has so far this year arrested 131 Indian fishermen and held 18 fishing boats for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters, the statement said.
The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.
In 2024, the island nation's Navy arrested 529 Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters.
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Low visibility prevents PM’s helicopter from landing in Taherpur, Modi returns to Kolkata airport
Kolkata (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s helicopter failed to land at the Taherpur helipad in West Bengal owing to low visibility on account of dense fog in the area on Saturday, an official said.
The PM’s chopper made a U-turn after hovering over the helipad ground for a while and returned to the Kolkata airport, he said.
Till reports last received, the Prime Minister was waiting at the airport for further updates on the weather situation.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Modi would reach the rally venue district by road or whether he would wait for the weather to clear up and make another attempt to reach Taherpur by the aerial route, the official said.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister reached Kolkata at around 10.40 am and took a chopper onward to Taherpur in Nadia district, where he is scheduled to hold an administrative programme to launch highway projects in West Bengal, followed by a political rally of the BJP, titled Parivartan Sankalpa Sabha, which he is supposed to address.
