The Puducherry government has decided to provide compensation to fishermen owning boats that were not registered with the Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare and had suffered damages during cyclone Thane.
This was decided at a cabinet meeting following which the proposal was forwarded to the government. Fishermen from Kalapet, Chinna Kalapet, Kanagachettikulam and Pillaichavady had been included for payment of the compensation.
Last week, the government had mooted another proposal for inclusion of fishermen owning unregistered boats from all the other 12 fishing villages, particularly Panithitu and Narambai, for providing compensation. This was decided at a meeting attended by Minister for Fisheries N G Paneerselvam and Welfare Minister P Rajavelu, besides other officials.
More than 500 fishermen had been included in the list of beneficiaries recommended for compensation. They were owners of boats in various categories. Already, the government had provided compensation to more than 1,300 fishermen whose boats had been damaged during cyclone Thane involving expenses of around `13 crore.