NAGAPATTINAM: Hundreds of small-scale salt manufacturers in Vedaranyam are yet to recover from the impact of Cyclone Gaja. “I lost about 300 tonnes of salt produced from my two-acre saltern due to the storm and flooding,” says S Rajkumar from Kailavanampettai. “As I was unable to recover from the losses, and as I had no means to clear the marine clay deposits in the salterns, I started working as a daily wage labourer at other salterns to feed my family.”
Vedaranyam has 9,000 acres of salterns, of which around 6,000 acres are owned by two corporate firms -- GHCL and Chemplast Sanmar. The rest of it is owned by 1,000-odd small-scale producers. On November 15, 2018, Gaja laid waste to the entire salt industry in Vedaranyam. The small-scale producers claim to have lost 1 lakh metric tonnes of salt they produced. The waves entered the salterns and deposited marine clay as they retreated through the 10-km long seawater channel called 'Fourth Furlong Belt.'
The salt producers are yet to receive any compensation. A representation was made to Union Minister Suresh Prabhu in December 2018, followed by multiple reminders, but nothing has happened till date. The corporate companies cleared the clay at their own expense and resumed production in April this year. So did a few small-scale players.
Hundreds of others, however, could not afford it. Many of them are now in neck-deep debt. “I could not do much this year to feed my family. I became a part of the 100-day labour scheme (MNREGS),” says S Veerasundharam from Kodiyakarai. The convectional rains that preceded the Northeast monsoon added to the troubles of manufacturers this year. It’s not just the owners, over 2,000 workers and their families dependent on this trade have also been affected.
“The only alternative trade we know is fishing. We do not get many opportunities there either,” says M Arumugam, a salt worker from Vedaranyam. The salt industry in Vedaranyam falls under the Central government. It is administered by the salt department under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries.
Speaking to Express, Deputy Salt Commissioner C Raghu said,“The damages to salterns in Vedaranyam have already been reported to the Salt Commissioner who has in turn reported it to the Ministry. We cannot take steps for the salt that has been lost. But for damage to salterns, if the producers are insured, they can claim for compensation.”