Violators to be penalised

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The district administration has decided to take strict action against the fishermen venturing into the sea violating the ban orders. Revenue district officer (RDO) John Samuel said fishing using ‘karamadi’ and ‘kambavala’ have been strictly banned. “We have given directions to the police authorities to take strict action against the violators.

Both these methods require several hands to operate which leads to crowding. Our primary focus is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and we cannot turn a blind eye to such violations,” said John. He said that the police have been asked to file cases against the violators under the Disaster Management Act and Section 144 of the CrPC.

On Wednesday, the officials visited Mariyanadu, Poonthura and Vizhinjam areas to ensure that the social-distancing norms are strictly followed. “Fishermen communities are also very vulnerable because of the density of population in these regions. We have to ensure that not a single case gets reported in these areas which could lead to a community spread,” he said. The government is ensuring steady food supplies to the fisherman families to survive the lockdown, he claimed.