SRIKAKULAM: The annual 61-day ban on fishing by mechanised boats has triggered migration of fishermen from the coastal villages in Srikakulam district. With lack of alternative livelihood options, the fisher-folks have started migrating to various cities, looking for employment as daily wagers. As many as 300 people have migrated so far after the ban came into force on April 14 midnight, say the fisherman association leaders.
Srikakulam district has 197-km coastline, the longest in the state, covering 104 villages in 11 mandals with a population of around 50,000 and the fisheries department records suggest that there are 6,211 registered fishermen in the district.
However, the ban imposed every year to facilitate the fish breeding season, have spelt troubles for fishermen.
“As many as 300 fishermen from Budgadlapalem, Jeerupalem, Badivanipalem and D Matsalesam and other villages in Etcherla and Ranasthalam mandals have migrated to Vijayawada, Chennai, and other places in search of jobs. Not skilled to pursue any other occupation, they work as daily wagers during the ban period,” says Maddu Raja Rao, a fishermen community leader from Sompeta.
Though the government is paying compensation, its disbursal is not free from problems.
“Around 700 fishermen in the district are yet to be paid the last year’s allowance of Rs 4,000 per head. Fishermen who can not migrate owing to old age do the repairing of nets and boats during the ban, but the rest go out looking for jobs,” says D Janaki Rao, a fisherman from D Masalesam, adding that some even go to Gujarat, Mumbai and Goa to work as fishing assistants as there is no ban in the Arabian Sea.
The fishermen also pick holes in the enumeration procedure of the beneficiaries for compensation. “It needs 15 fishermen to run a mechanised boat, but the government considers only six per boat when it comes to granting compensation and the move keeps around 9,000 fishermen out of the list of beneficiaries,” points pout Maddu Raja Rao, citing the example of Kerala where the government gives 50 kg of rice and Rs 8,000 to each fisherman, irrespective of the number of people working in each mechanised boat.
Meanwhile, the authorities say that the enumeration of the beneficiaries has already begun. “Registered fisherman will get Rs 4,000 each as compensation. Last year, 700 fishermen did not get the amount owing to technical reasons. We will send the final list of eligible beneficiaries to the higher-ups soon,” says fisheries department deputy director V V Krishna Murthy.
DWMA project director H Kurmanath told Express that the fishermen would be provided jobs near their villages under the NREGS. “We are conducting a survey in all fishermen villages for the purpose,” he added.