The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Nellore fishermen pour out their woes Central team visits tsunami-hit villages

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 06, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Nellore fishermen pour out their woes Central team visits tsunami-hit villages

By Our Staff Reporter

NELLORE, JAN. 5. Victim after victim reeled out his/her woes to the five-member Central team, which visited the tsunami-affected Mypadu, Pallepalem and Kottasatram areas of Nellore district on Wednesday. Regarding assistance being extended by the Government, there was a general demand for immediate work.

Fishermen of Mypadu and Pallepalem told the leader of the Central team, Rajiv Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, that they had lost everything, including boats and nets. Unless new boats and nets were provided their life would be difficult, they said. "Except rice, nothing was provided. How can we survive?" asked Chandramma, a woman engaged in fishing. She wanted something else to be done for the children, who could not go to school and the men, staying at home. Fishermen would be too happy to go into the sea, provided their nets and boats were either repaired or new ones provided, she said.

About the possibility of again going into the sea, fishermen said it might take more than a month. At Mypadu, people were sore that they had no prior intimation of the arrival of VIPs and other officials.

Photo show

An overall picture of the damage was explained to the team by the Joint Collector, N. Sridhar, and the Project Officer, Velugu, Vijayakumar.

At Gangapatnam Pallepalem, the team members -- Chandrapaul, Deputy Commissioner, Fisheries, A.K. Nagpaul, S.E. (Ministry of Surface Transport), R. N. Sarangi, Deputy Advisor, Planning Commission and S.K. Satpati, Deputy Commissioner, Infrastructure and Area Projects -- and the State Commissioner for Fisheries, P. Krishnaiah, went round the photo exhibition arranged by the Information and Public Relations Department.

In Kavali division, the team visited only the Kottasatram seashore, where the damage was not much. At a hurriedly convened meeting, bankers told the member, that there were divergent directions from the Reserve Bank and the Government. They wanted the State-level bankers' meet convened at the earliest and clear directions forwarded. The bankers however indicated that they would assist to the tune of Rs. 20 crores, subject to guidelines.

The team however did not visit the Tummalapenta though it passed through that area. Also there was no visit to Vatlur, where there were three deaths. In view of short time available, several people could not represent to the team. After a short stay at the R&B guest house, Kavali, the team, left for Kandukur of Prakasam district.

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