The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Nagercoil News : Victims resort to road blockade

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 31, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Nagercoil

Victims resort to road blockade

By Our Staff Reporter

NAGERCOIL, DEC. 30. Even as the district administration has geared up relief operations, problems and agitations were galore in different parts of the district owing to non - distribution of timely relief measures to tsunami-affected fishermen.

Road traffic between Colachel and Monday Market was paralysed for more than two hours as the affected fishermen belonging to Kottilpadu, one of the worst affected coastal village near Colachel, besides detaining the Collector, Ramesh Chand Meena and K.S.Sribathi, Secretary, Department of Planning and Development, resorted to a road blockade demanding immediate distribution of relief measures.

According to Rev. Johnson of Evangelical Social Action Forum, despite five days after the tidal waves hit their village, the Government is yet to distribute any relief measures.

The sea washed away all the houses with household articles.

But at the same time, though there was no such major damage in the nearby Maramadi, all the affected persons there have already been given relief materials, including Rs. 2,000 in cash. Protesting against the `step-motherly attitude' of revenue officials, they came out of the relief camp opened in St Mary's higher secondary school and are now staying in a private marriage hall. They demanded the Government to distribute immediate relief.

Meanwhile the agitating fishermen agreed to `release' the Collector and the Secretary after getting assurance from the police that they will be allowed to meet the visiting Chief Minister in Nagercoil.

Meanwhile, the representatives of the villagers of Kottilpadu met the Chief Minister and handed over a memorandum. She assured them that immediate steps would be taken to redress their grievances.

Similarly a tense moment prevailed at Colachel when the Prime Minister's convoy passed through Periya Palli (mosque) in order reach Maramadi where Dr. Singh inspected the tsunami-affected areas.

Around 300 affected men and women wanted to hand over a memorandum to the Prime Minister, but could not as it was not in the list of the PM. But the people, led by the cadres of Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazagam, tried to stage a road roko in the traveller's bungalow junction.

Meanwhile, they lifted their proposed agitation after the police allowed their representatives to hand over the memorandum to the Prime Minister.

As the revenue officials had committed some errors while disbursing cash relief of Rs.2, 000, the affected fishermen have urged the Government to form village-level committees for the purpose.

All the Government-announced relief materials should be distributed in the presence of the committee members, said the fishermen at the St.Mary's higher secondary school camp.

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