Fisheries Minister denies Indian media reports on Palk Bay boundary agreement
Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda has refuted Indian media reports about any new agreement between Sri Lanka and India regarding the Palk Bay boundary or the Kachchathivu island.
Responding to reports from Indian newspapers, Devananda yesterday told the Sunday Observer that there had been no discussions in the Cabinet about maritime boundaries in the Palk Bay.
Devananda took to task some Indian political parties for revisiting the 1974-1976 India-Sri Lanka Agreement on the Palk Bay boundary during the Indian elections, using the issue of Kachchathivu island to garner votes.
He said that such claims are common during elections, referencing the recent Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu.
He said that the boundary agreement was more disadvantageous to Sri Lanka, limiting access to minerals, pearl grounds, and other resources in the Wadge Bank of the Palk Bay boundary.
