The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Rs. 1 crore boats left to rust

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Rs. 1 crore boats left to rust

By K. Manikandan

CHENNAI, JULY 27. Nearly five years after it was `dedicated' to the fisherfolk of Chennai, a patrol boat built with nearly Rs. 1 crore in government money, lies berthed at the Fishing Harbour at Kasimedu, waiting to be scrapped.

The boat, fishermen say, has not been used for even a single day since it was commissioned by the previous regime in November 1999.

The State Government commissioned five patrol boats in Chennai, Mallipattinam, Tuticorin, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari. The boats were commissioned to help rescue fishermen in the event of getting stranded in the high seas and to help in the management of fishery resources.

The boats were bought from a private ship builder in Pondicherry after the State Government received a 100 per cent subsidy from the Centre.

No contract

Tenders to operate and maintain the boats were called soon after they were formally inaugurated and though there were applicants, the contract was not given to anyone, says R. Jayawanth of the Nautical and Engineering Techno Fishermen Cooperative Society. He was one of the bidders.

He says all the five boats have been simply berthed in the fishing harbours and left to rust. The ships are damaged so badly that even if the Government wants to repair them, the cost would be prohibitive. ``If the Government did not want to operate the boats, why did they buy them?'' he asks.

The 16.59 metre long boat is said to be equipped with sophisticated equipment and can reach a maximum speed of 14 knots (approximately 26 km per hour). Stating that it was a precious waste of taxpayers' money to simply let such an expensive boat go waste, he said the Centre should seek an explanation from the State Government.

Fishermen said that some months ago the Department of Fisheries appealed to the Coast Guard to take up the operation and maintenance of the boats. However, as the department did not have sufficient funds to repair them, the proposal was dropped.

Calls to officials of the Fisheries department were not returned and senior officers of the Coast Guard were not willing to comment.

`Employment deprived'

Apart from the waste of money, what worries fishermen is that the government inaction has deprived them of employment. K. Bharathi, president, South Indian Fishermen Association (`Thenindia Meenavar Sangam'), said more than 60 fishermen could have been appointed to the posts of skipper, driver, oilman and cook in the five boats.

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