Katchatheevu Island: 3 April 2024

• About:
  • Area:  It is a 163-acre uninhabited island administered by Sri Lanka.
  • Location: Between Neduntheevu, Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, India.
  • History: The island was under the control of the kingdom of the Ramanad Raja (a Zamindar) from 1795 to 1803. 
• Timeline of the issue:
  • 1974: An agreement was signed by the then Prime Ministers of India and Sri Lanka – an agreement by which the island went to Sri Lanka, but Indian fishermen were given “access to Katchatheevu for rest, for drying of nets and for the annual St festival”.
  • 1976:  India and Sri Lanka signed agreement giving sovereign rights over a maritime patch of a 4,000-sq-mile area  called ‘Wadge Bank’ near Kanyakumari to India. 
  • 1990: In the Palk Strait, near the Wadge Bank, many efficient Indian fishing trawlers started operating. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka was dealing with the LTTE, and its navy wasn’t active in the area, allowing Indian boats to fish in Sri Lankan waters.
  • 1991:  Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, demanded the return of Katchatheevu and the restoration of fishing rights for Indian Tamil fishermen. The demand wasn’t pursued further because of the civil war in Sri Lanka.
  • 2009: The civil war ended. However,  Indian fishermen continued to cross into Sri Lankan waters due to fewer fish on the Indian side. The Sri Lankan navy started arresting Indian fishermen and destroying their boats for boundary violations, leading to renewed demands in Tamil Nadu for the retrieval of Katchatheevu.

Why in News:

• Recently, the Prime Minister of India has criticized the opposition for relinquishing the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka.