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Plea to publish results on survey of cancer patients

Nagercoil: The district administration must publish the results of a survey that was conducted a few months back to enumerate cancer patients in Kanyakumari district, said participants of the monthly fishermen's grievance day redressal meeting at the Collectorate here on Friday.

Owing to an increase in number of cancer patients in fishermen hamlets in the district, they had urged the district administration to conduct the survey at a similar meeting a few months back. The district administration accepted the demand and employed paramedical staff to conduct the survey. Samples were taken from five fishermen hamlets near Indian Rare Earths Limited (IERL) unit at Manavalakurichi, five other hamlets away from the IREL, and yet five other villages in Aralvoimozhy region in the interior parts of the district.

The fishermen blamed the district administration for not publishing the results of the survey as promised two months ago.

Collector Ashish Kumar said that as the survey was conducted by employing paramedical students, who were given only a two-day training, the accuracy of the survey results could not be verified and hence it could not be published. After verifying the results with a third party, the results would be published in the next meeting, he said.

The participants also demanded that former Minister Lourdhammal Simon's centenary celebrations that falls on September 26 be celebrated as a government function. The newly constructed Keezha Manakudy-Mela Manakudy bridge must be named after the former Minister.

They further wanted the Collector to bifurcate fishermen hamlets into separate panchayats. They demanded the Collector to take steps to bifurcate them before local body elections. The Collector said that it was a policy matter that only the government could decide on.

There was also a complaint that buses operating through fishermen hamlets were not being operated as per schedule and hence demanded the Collector to appoint some external agency to inspect the operations of buses. The Collector ordered the Padmanabhapuram Revenue Divisional Officer Mohana Chandran to conduct surprise inspections and asked him to submit a report to him.

The issue of the ship that ran aground off Kadiyapattinam coast was also raised at the meeting. IT was alleged that the ship was causing environmental threat to local fishermen. District Revenue Officer Prabhakaran urged the fishermen to wait till DG Shipping officials conduct negotiations with the shipping company.

Assistant Director of Fisheries Department Rubert Jothi and other officials participated in the meeting.

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