Kollam: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Friday accused the state government of signing a Rs 5,000-crore deep-sea fishing agreement with US-based EMCC International Pvt Ltd.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between the company and the industries department at the global investors’ meeting, ‘Ascent 2020’, held in Kochi for upgradation and promotion of deep-sea fishing in the state, Chennithala said.
As per the MoU, 400 state-of-the-art deep-sea trawlers and five mother vessels would be manufactured and made available for fishing in the state.
Demanding a comprehensive inquiry, the opposition leader said all political parties were opposed to foreign trawlers on Kerala’s coast. Fisherfolk and CPM have also opposed such moves in the past, he said.
Chennithala alleged large-scale corruption behind the Pinarayi Vijayan government’s move. “This is despite several studies pointing to the depletion of fish resources along our coast. Moreover, we cannot say the US-based company would limit its activities to deep-sea fishing alone,” he said.
The Congress leader said the government had not discussed the issue in LDF or with opposition or fisherfolk.
It was on the basis of the meeting fisheries minister J Mercykutty Amma had with EMCC, in April 2018, that an amendment was made to the fisheries policy in 2019, he said.
EMCC had written to industries minister E P Jayarajan last week reminding that the MoU was signed on the basis of a clause in paragraph 2.9 of the fisheries policy. The clause was included on the basis of the fisheries minister’s meeting with EMCC representatives in New York, Chennithala alleged.
As per the clause, fishing vessels will be encouraged to shift pressure for fishing to the continental slope area from continental shelf area. As per the agreement, 400 deep-sea fishing vessels, each costing Rs 2 crore, and five mother vessels worth Rs 74 crore would be manufactured here.
To facilitate these vessels, harbouring facilities are to be enhanced. As per the understanding, the company is to be allotted four acres of land in Pallippuram to start a fish-processing unit, he said.
Fisheries minister Mercykutty Amma termed the allegation as baseless. “I had visited New York in 2018 to attend a meeting with UN officials.” She also demanded an apology from the opposition leader for triggering a needless controversy.