NORTH PARAVUR: What is common between a scrapped motorcycle, Chinese fishing net and a garage? An engineering marvel! Surprised?
Thanks to an ingenious device developed by local fisherman K K Sreenivasan, the toiling fishermen can catch a breath with a motorcycle mounted on the fishing platform set to pull the weight for them.
Fishermen swirling on a rickety platform, reeling in heavy ropes to heave in the Chinese nets from waters at North Paravur and idyllic Kurumbanthuruthu- a sleepy village tucked away on the banks of Periyar in Chendamangalam panchayat- is a sight to behold. However, Sreenivasan, hauling the ropes for the past 20 years, got the brainwave from something that skipped the naked eye.
The sight of men straining every nerve to lift the spidery nets tugged at his heartstrings. Now, the invention is revolutionising the fishing practice at least in these parts. Fishermen are fast embracing the new innovative method with open hands. “There are people who operate Chinese fishing nets using various methods, including solar energy. But these are all costly affairs,”says Sreenivasan.
“I’ve developed this method after conducting several experiments. It cost me only a modest `3,000. It saves a lot of time, energy and money. My experience as a boat mechanic did come in handy,” he says. The main advantage of this mechanised system is that it can be operated by a single person.
Babu M J, who is both a dairy farmer and a fisherman, switched over to the new method two weeks ago. “I use a relatively new motorcycle with a self start mechanism, which cost around `12,000. But it is highly effective. I no longer need to pull the rope manually. Anyone from my family can operate it without any strain,” he says.