NCP allays fears of Puducherry's fishermen

National Congress party has allayed the fears of fishermen with regard to the Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Bill, 2009.
  
G Sundaramoorthy, NCP's Puducherry unit president,told newsmen here today a delegation of the party's Tamilnadu and Puducherry unit leaders had met Union agriculture minister and NCP national leader Sharad Pawar at Delhi recently and brought to his notice fears expressed by fishermen over the Bill.
  
The minister had assured the delegation, who included the party's Tamil Nadu unit chief, SP Sarathy, that no bill would be passed without ascertaining the views and suggestions of the fishermen, the main stakeholders.
   
Fishermen associations are up in arms against the draft bill on the ground that if implemented the legislation would deprive them of their source of livelihood.