A fiberglass boat painted in the colour of actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam flag in the coastal hamlet of Koottapuli in Tirunelveli district.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The denial of subsidised kerosene to the fibreglass boats painted in the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam party flag colour triggered brief furore in the coastal hamlet of Koottapuli and it subsided after the officials told them to follow the ‘colour coding’ stipulated by the government for their safety on high seas.According to the fishermen of Koottapuli, they organised an event in the sea on June 18 in which the fibreglass boats painted in the party flag colour of Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam participated. As the fishermen Santiago, Soosai, Judy, Pelican, Tibursiyan, Deepan, Cruz, Teles, Ajith and Ruben participated in the event, they had given a fresh coat of paint in TVK party flag’s colour.When they applied for 250 litres of subsidised kerosene for July, the fisheries department officials reportedly denied them fuel, saying that they could not give the kerosene at subsidised cost to the fibreglass boats painted in TVK flag colour.Fisheries department officials said the boats complying with the ‘colour coding’ alone could be given subsidised fuel.“The ‘colour coding’ is strictly followed as it will be easy for everyone to identify the boats from Tamil Nadu. The boats built with subsidy should be in all-green colour.Assistant Director of Fisheries, Tirunelveli, Rajadurai too confirmed it. “After we told the fishermen concerned about the norm, they agreed to change the colour and hence the fuel at subsidised cost has been given to these boats,” Mr. Rajadurai said. Published - July 10, 2025 07:29 pm IST
