The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : For these fishermen, the threat to life and limb lurks at home

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 04, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

For these fishermen, the threat to life and limb lurks at home

Meera Srinivasan

Over 200 houses in Kanathur village are now in danger of collapsing

LIVING IN FEAR: Thavamani points to the cracks on her ceiling at her home in Kanathur village. — Photo: R.Ragu

CHENNAI : For most fishermen in Kanathur village (off East Coast Road) who brave the seas every other day, the threat to life and limb ironically lurks at home. Most of the over 200 houses in this village are dilapidated and many structures on the verge of collapse.

The Tamil Nadu Housing Board built the homes more than two decades ago.

A narrow lane that leads to the shore is flanked by around 200 concrete houses and 100-odd thatched huts. Many of the houses here have developed huge cracks on the ceilings and walls.

Villagers said every time it rained large concrete chunks came off the wall. The tsunami, which struck several coastal villages in Tamil Nadu in December 2004, only made things worse.

"About 60 houses here are in very bad condition. The government promised to rebuild our homes but nothing has been done so far," says A.Malathy, who leads a self-help group there. At Devi's house, which is all of one hall (10 by 10 feet) and an even smaller kitchen, the walls had several menacing cracks. As she points to one long crack in the hall, cement flakes peel off and powdery concrete fall into our eyes.

For Thavamani and Dandapani, who sell fish for a living, rainy days are terrible.

They sleep outside their house, fearing that the ceiling would crumble.

Dandapani has not been keeping well for the past couple of months and Thavamani, mother of four, makes about 50 rupees a day by selling fish at the bus stand on the main road.

Residents of this coastal village said the government offered to build new homes in another village, following a series of petitions.

"We have been fishermen for generations. If we are away from the sea, how can we find new means of livelihood?" asked a senior member of the village.

The Kancheepuram District Collector was not available for comment.

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