More than two lakh fishermen from six districts are on a strike since last night in Tamil Nadu, demanding that 75 of their fishing boats be retrieved from Sri Lanka.
The fishermen who went on hunger strike on Republic Day at Nagapattinam said that there was no response from the government and they were forced to resort to strike.
Meanwhile, fishermen from Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Puducherry and Karaikal have decided not to venture out into the sea.
The fishermen say that their livelihood is being hit badly as their fishing boats are lying idle in Lanka and they added that around 18 fishing boats that were detained by Sri Lanka have been completely damaged.
Earlier, Sri Lanka had released 102 Tamil fishermen lodged in Lankan jails as good will gesture last week. However the fishing boats of Tamil fishermen were not released as deterrent measure.