THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF on Thursday moved a notice for adjournment motion in assembly over the recurring deaths of fishermen in Muthalapozhi harbour. The Opposition said that due to the faulty construction of the harbour, 60 men have lost their lives since 2016. They demanded the government create a safe corridor for fishers. Moving the notice, Kovalam MLA M Vincent said the Muthalapozhi has become one of the dangerous harbours in the state for the fishers.
He said the coastal police do not have the capacity to conduct rescue operations. Coastal hamlets north of the harbour are under the fear of being submerged due to constant sea erosion. Fishermen in Vizhinjam also face the threat of massive waves slamimng the harbour mouth, Vincent added. In his reply, Fisheries Minister Saji Cheriyan contested the number of casualties in Muthalapozhi and said, as per the police records, only 16 fishers have lost their lives since 2011. He promised the house that the government would find a long-lasting solution for accidents at Muthalapozhi and claimed that all is well with Vizhinjam. “No serious accident has been reported in Vizhinjam these days.
The dredging is on in the harbour channel,” he said. The minister said the government has provided financial assistance to the families of the dead and to the injured, and that there was no need for an adjournment motion on the matter. However, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said the minister was miscalculating the number of deaths as an RTI reply by the fisheries department says 18 people have died in Muthalapozhi in 2018 alone. “Ten deaths were recorded this year. More than 500 people have sustained injuries so far, and accidents have been recurring for the past six years,” he said.