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Tsunami-hit fishermen stage road roko

Special Correspondent

Demand houses for 1,300 families in affected villages

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

CARE FOR CHILDREN: Even as fishermen and their family members stage a road roko on the East Coast Road, elders take care of the children by preparing `breakfast' on the road in Puducherry on Tuesday.

Puducherry: Scores of fishermen belonging to the tsunami-hit villages of Sinna Kalapet, Periya Kalapet, Pillaichavady and Ganapathichettykulam (all in Lawspet Assembly constituency) near here courted arrest on Tuesday when they staged a road roko on Puducherry-Kalapet section of East Coast Road (ECR) demanding houses under tsunami rehabilitation programme.

The stretch of the East Coast Road between Pillaichavady and Ganapathychettykulam was strewn with iron pipes and boulders were dumped on this main thoroughfare.

Traffic remained disrupted for more than four hours. Agitators erected shamianas on the road to protect themselves from the sun.

A section of fishermen said that their villages bore the worst brunt of the tsunami.

Top functionaries of the Centre, the World Bank, the All India Congress Committee, the Chief Ministers of a number of States, who had contributed liberally to the Tsunami Relief Fund, visited the villages. But nothing had been done to provide houses to around 1,300 families.

"We are now living in temporary sheds exposing ourselves to several risks. Most of the time the children and elders fall sick and our woes continue."

Residents of Pillaichavady and Periyakalapet said that several representations were made to the Government. But it was surprising that the administration was remaining unconcerned about our welfare, observed the fishermen.

A large number of police personnel, led by Senior Superintendent of Police Chhaya Sharma and Superintendent of Police Vijayakumar, rushed to the spot to restore normalcy. A police source said that mild lathi charge was resorted to at one place to scare the agitators away. Around 500 agitators including women were detained in barracks. They would be released later in the day, the source added.

Police personnel removed all iron lamp posts and boulders that were strewn on the road.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Puducherry North) N. Vasanthakumar told newsmen that the arrest was made for blocking traffic.

A delegation of the villagers met Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and submitted a memorundum. Mr. Rangasamy told The Hindu that no time would be lost to construct 1, 300 houses.

Either the Project Implementation Agency of the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management or the non- governmental organisations would be associated with the project. "We would adopt uniform pattern in rehabilitating the tsunami-hit families," he noted. Education Minister M.O.H.F. Shahjahan elected from Lawspet held discussions with the Chief Minister.

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