Sri Lanka says ‘no ground’ for Indian request to return Katchatheevu
Sri Lanka has dismissed the statements coming out of India on “reclaiming” Katchatheevu island, stressing that such claims have “no ground”.
The country’s Minister of Fisheries, Douglas Devananda, while dismissing the claims said: “It is not unusual to hear the noises of claims and counterclaims about Katchatheevu island during the election season in India.”
His remarks came days after the Narendra Modi-led BJP government accused Congress and its ally DMK of overlooking national interests in the ceding of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974.
Devananda said that India is acting in its interests to secure this place to ensure Sri Lankan fishermen would not have any access to that area, and that Sri Lanka should not claim any rights in that resourceful area, newswire PTI reported.
The Sri Lankan minister said that fishing was permitted in both countries’ territorial waters as per the 1974 agreement. However, in 1976, it was revised and the fishermen from both countries were banned from fishing in neighboring waters.
“There claims to be a place called West Bank which is located below Kanyakumari – it is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources – it is 80 times bigger than Katchatheevu island, India secured it at the 1976 review agreement,” Devananda stressed.
In 1974, the island of Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka as part of a bilateral agreement between the two governments. Despite this, reports suggest that fishermen from both countries have occasionally breached the terms of the agreement by entering the waters surrounding the uninhabited island.
EAM S Jaishankar on Monday claimed that Sri Lanka has been holding 1,175 fishing vessels and over 6,000 Indian fishermen for the past 20 years after the no-fishing agreement was implemented.
The once low-key territorial dispute has garnered international attention, evolving into a contentious election issue in India.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has highlighted Indian fishermen’s discontent over their restricted access to the waters surrounding Sri Lanka, because of the 1976 agreement. (Live Mint with PTI inputs)
