The Hindu : Other States / Pondicherry News : Fishermen complain of neglect

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Friday, Jan 07, 2005

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Fishermen complain of neglect

By Rajesh Nair

PONDICHERRY, JAN. 6. Fishermen from three hamlets in the south of Pondicherry complain that they have not been adequately compensated for the loss of property in the tsunami attack.

The villages — Narambai, Panithittu and Puthukuppam — have reported destruction of property and large-scale damage to fishing equipment. Six persons were killed in Puthukuppam.

According to the fishermen, most affected villages were given Rs. 10,000 by the revenue department as interim relief, but they were left out. "We were only given Rs. 2,000 by the fisheries department and 20 kg of rice. The rice is almost over in many families," says Thirunavamurthy of Narambai.

"How long an eight member family sustain with 20 kg of rice," asks Doraisamy, another fisherman. "We have already started spending Rs. 2,000 for our daily expenses. It will take months for us to go for fishing. Repeated pleas to the government officials who visited the place to release the money immediately have not yielded any result so far."

The fishermen feel ignored by the non-governmental organisations. "We heard through newspapers that many NGOs have helped the affected families but so far nobody has visited our village," says Thirunavamurthy.

In Narambai, where more than 20 huts were completely damaged and all the fishing equipment washed away, the villagers are staying with their relatives.

Team to visit Delhi

When these complaints were brought to the notice of B.V. Selvaraj, Development and Relief Commissioner, he said the revenue officials were assessing the damage and the compensation would be given soon. The administration had submitted a detailed memorandum to the Central team. The 200-page memorandum, seeking financial assistance under the Calamity Relief Fund, was submitted on Wednesday to the Union Home Secretary (Border Management) A.K. Rastogi. However, he refused to divulge the quantum of allocation sought.

A four-member team, comprising senior officials, will visit Delhi tomorrow to discuss with the Central officials about the rehabilitation work, he added.

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