• 16,867 fishermen to be paid

The Government will tomorrow (10) begin disbursing Rs. 1,514 million worth of compensation among fisher communities on the western seaboard who were affected by the MV X-Press Pearl vessel’s disaster.

According to Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, the ministry plans to disburse the Rs. 1,514 million compensation received from the Treasury among the fishermen who were affected by the fishing ban around the western coast.

The compensation, received by the Treasury from the insurers of the Singaporean-flagged MV X-Press Pearl, has been dispatched to the District Secretaries of Colombo, Gampaha, and Kurunegala Districts, Minister Devananda said.

Accordingly, 16,867 fishermen and their families who were affected by the ban will receive compensation during the fourth round of payments. 

The Minister of Fisheries said that the District Secretaries had been instructed to release the funds to the fishermen who had been identified in a survey following the fishing ban. 

Minister Devananda said the focus would be on fisher families engaged in fishing and processing seafood. 

Each affected fishing family will be eligible to receive between Rs. 50,000 (minimum) to Rs. 330,000 (maximum) as compensation.