Sri Lankan Navy arrests 34 Indian fishermen
Colombo, Jan 26 (PTI): The Sri Lankan Navy arrested at least 34 Indian fishermen and seized three trawlers for illegal fishing in two separate incidents, the authorities said on Sunday.
The fishermen have been arrested for illegal fishing in two separate incidents on January 25 and 26, the Navy said.
Both arrests came off the coast of the northeastern Mannar district in the Navy’s continued regular patrols in the Sri Lankan waters to curb illegal fishing, the Navy said.
The arrested fishermen have been handed over to the relevant officials for further action.
The Indian High Commission here earlier this week said some 41 Indian fishermen who had been similarly arrested previously for poaching in Sri Lankan waters were repatriated.
On January 12, eight Indian fishermen were arrested and two fishing trawlers were seized.
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.
The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.
Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters.
In 2024, the island nation's Navy arrested 529 Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters.
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Delhi's air quality in 'very poor' category at 386, 'severe' at 16 stations
New Delhi (PTI): The air quality in the national capital was recorded in the "very poor" category on Sunday morning, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 386, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Data from the CPCB's Sameer app revealed that 16 monitoring stations in the city reported air quality in the "severe" category, while the remaining stations recorded "very poor" levels.
As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe".
The minimum temperature settled at 9.4 degrees Celsius, which is 1.3 degrees above the season's average, while the humidity was recorded at 91 per cent at 8:30 am, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius, with the IMD forecasting a yellow alert for the city due to moderate fog.
