No supply of kerosene, allege fishermen as fishing season nears end

Byndoor/Malpe: Fishermen from the coastal district are facing hardships as most of their traditional mechanized boats are anchored due to the non-supply of kerosene.

The government had directed the fisheries department to increase the supply of kerosene from 150L to 300L in April 2022-23. However, the boat owners have said that most of them have received only around 169L while a few fishermen received a maximum of 280L.

There has been no kerosene supply in the past 2 months, the fishermen said and added that traditional boats have not been able to venture out fishing during peak season due to the non-availability of kerosene.

May end being the close of the current fishing season, the fishermen have demanded that the government release the promised kerosene as soon as possible.

Some vessels in the Malpe port area are using previously stocked kerosene for fishing expeditions. However most vessels are anchored at the port, the fishermen lamented.