To keep a check on the intrusion of fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry into the territorial sea waters of south coastal Andhra Pradesh, the State government has procured two steel-bodied deep sea fishing boats with high-speed engine of 650 hp for surveillance purposes. These patrol boats will be deployed after the fishing ban period is over.
Speaking to The Hindu, SPSR Nellore district Joint Director (Fisheries) K. Shanti said, “Each patrol boat costs around ₹1.20 crore. Of the total ₹2.40 crore required for the procurement of two boats, 40% will be provided by the Central government under Pradhan Matri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and the rest 60% will be borne by the State government under Fisheries Development scheme. The proposals have been sent to the Fisheries Commissioner.”
“Nellore District Collector has released an initial advance of ₹30.00 lakh for the construction of two boats. Six fishermen from the southern coastal districts visited P.S. Steel Boat Works at Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and performed puja to start the construction work of the two boats,” she informed.
Assistant Director of Fisheries, Nellore, Sheikh Chand Basha, visited the construction site along with the six fishermen — Sriharikota Polaiah from Tirupati district, Vaila Venka Teswarlu, Kondur Sarumudi, Kondur Babu, all from Nellore district, Vaila Vasantha Kumar from Prakasam district and Pralayakaveri Balaiah from Bapatla district.
