Kakdwip: Five trawlers with about 70 fishermen on board have been seized for straying into the Bangladesh territory while fishing in Sunderban area during a storm, a West Bengal minister said on Tuesday.
The fishermen, who contacted Sunderban Matso Samobay Samity to narrate their ordeal, said due to the storm they lost direction in the choppy sea while fishing near Kedo islands on the Indian side, and the trawlers mistakenly strayed into the territory of the neighbouring country on November 2 midnight, Minister of State for fisheries Subrata Saha said.
On November 3 morning, they were intercepted by the Bangladesh border guards and the vessels were seized, the minister said.
"We are moving the Ministry of External Affairs for taking up the issue with the Bangladesh counterparts so that the trawlers are released and the fishermen allowed to come back to this side," Saha said.
Local MLA Manturam Pakhira said he had urged the minister for moving Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take up the issue at the highest level.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 06, 2012, 22:13