HC tells Centre: Help procure transponders for turtle protection
- Cuttack: The Orissa high court has issued notice to the Centre for a response on amendment to the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampad Yojana (PMMSY) to facilitate procurement of transponders, a tracking device, developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), for protection of Olive Ridley Sea turtles.
- The HC was hearing on Wednesday the PIL it had equerry glistered motu on the high mortality rate of Olive Ridley turtles on the Odisha coast and appointed advocate Mohit Agarwal as amicus curiae on February 23, 2021.
- The state government wants to procure 1,740 trans- ponders from ISRO to install them in mechanized fishing vessels and trawlers to track them in the sea for protection of the turtles. In an affidavit, joint director (coastal), directorate of fisheries, Sashikant Acharya, informed the court that the state government was finding it difficult to install the transponders under the prevailing set of modalities of PMMSY scheme.
- Considering the difficulties, the Centre has been requested to modify the guidelines of PMMSY scheme regarding tracking devices, including transponders, for use in fishing vessels. Stating that the Centre's response is awaited, Acharya sought three more months' time to come up with the modalities for procurement of transponders.
- Taking note of it, the two- judge bench of Chief Justice Muralidhar and Justice MS Raman issued notice to the joint secretary (Marine), Government of India, to file a response in relation to the issue of facilitating procurement of transponders by Odisha before the next date (June 26).
- "The court expects the necessary amendments to the guidelines of the PMMSY scheme to be issued by then," the bench in its order added. Deputy attorney general Prasanna Kumar Parhi received the notice.