Visakhapatnam: Tension prevailed as a group of unidentified persons, suspected to be natives of Peda Jalaripeta, allegedly set afire boats and six fishing nets near Jalari Yendada over the use of ring nets in the early hours of Friday.
In Matsyakarapally, some people went fishing with ring nets, but the nearby Jalaripet villagers opposed it.
The government has banned the use of ring nets within 8 km of the coast. A group of fishermen alleged that another group of fishermen are still using ring nets despite the ban.
The issues pertaining to the use of ring nets sparked a row in January this year and the police force was deployed at the fishing villages. The police immediately responded to this and prevented the dispute between the two villagers.
State fisheries minister Sidiri Appalarju visited the spot and enquired about the incident on Friday evening.
Earlier in January, a clash broke out between two groups of fishermen at Peda Jalaripeta in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday over the use of ‘ring net’ in the restricted area of the Bay of Bengal.
A group of fishermen set on fire six fishing boats of another group of fishermen creating a tense atmosphere in the Vasavanipalem and Jalaripeta areas in Vizag city.
They attacked each other in their mechanized boats and started chasing each other in the waters. Several fishermen had also fallen in the sea. Some of them set fire to a boat in the sea during the incident.
A large group of policemen rushed to the spot to pacify the fishermen and prevent further incidents.
We have imposed Section 144 at Vasavanipalem and Jalaripeta areas in Vizag city and set up police picketing at Mangamaripeta and Fishing Harbour to prevent possible clashes between the two groups,” said city police chief Manish Kumar Sinha.
There have been clashes between fisherfolk who use traditional nets and those who use ring nets in Vizag. While ring net fishing is banned within eight kilometers of the coast, the practice continues unabated.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)