The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : After a long time, fishermen venture into sea in mechanised boats

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

After a long time, fishermen venture into sea in mechanised boats

Special Correspondent

First time after December 26, 2004 tsunami; a rich harvest of fish

CUDDALORE: For the first time in the post-tsunami period, a large number of Thevanampattinam fishermen set out in over 85 mechanised boats on Sunday. After overnight stay they returned with a rich haul of fish on Monday morning.

They harvested about 8,000 kg of fish such as Soorai, Paarai and Vanjaram. This catch would fetch them Rs. 5.25 lakhs in the market. With the mechanised boats resuming fishing activity after the December 26, 2004 tsunami, normality has almost returned to the fishing village.

Members of the Thavanampattinam Fishermen Tsunami Relief Committee, R. Suresh, K. Aruldass and S. Ramu, said they were quite thrilled by the rich harvest of fish.

The fishermen felt that the tsunami severely affected their economy and also denied them their staple food — fish.

However, with the mechanised boats setting sail, they hoped the fishing trade would soon get back on the rails, and their lot would improve. As an interim measure, the catamarans filled the gap by meeting the fish requirements of the local community.

Private sector role

The fishermen said the Pondicherry Multipurpose Social Service Society made 96 boats seaworthy. It was with the society's untiring efforts, particularly its executive director, R. Ratchagar, that the resumption of fishing operation was made possible.

Flagging off the boats, the Collector, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, said the State Government was taking steps, in coordination with social service organisations, to restore livelihood to the fishermen. So far, the Government gave away Rs. 10 crores to the fishermen for purchase of boats, nets and catamarans.

Mr. Bedi said the society spent Rs. 1 crore for repairing the boats. On the fishermen's request, the dredging operation was taken up at a cost of Rs. 26 lakhs in the Uppanar at Silver Beach that was serving as a dockyard for boats.

Fr. Ratchagar said the society was imparting training in tailoring to 168 women of Thevanampattinam and computer literacy to 93 women and 58 men, who were school dropouts. Besides promoting sports, the society was also giving psychological counselling to the affected to overcome the trauma (suffered by the loss of family members to the waves).

He said his organisation proposed to repair 650 houses and construct a community hall, seven balwadis, three fishnet-mending sheds in the village. The ardent fans of the matinee idols have christened their boats as "Chandramukhis," a Rajnikant starrer, and "Vettaiyadu and Vilayaadu," a Kamal Hassan movie.

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