NAGAPATTINAM: Fishers in Kodiyakarai are struggling to recover from Cyclone Gaja. Many who owned catamarans and fibreglass boats are now reduced to daily wage workers as they lost the sole source of income.
Kodiyakarai is one of the villages where lives have witnessed a sea-change since the cyclone. Some fishers are still running from pillar to post trying to get compensation for boats lost or damaged.
C Mariappan, a fisherman said, “I lost my catamaran and nets worth over Rs 50,000. I used to earn over Rs 1,000 a day. My losses have not been taken into account even after a year. I have to take care of my family, including two daughters. Now, I am forced to work as a labourer on fibreglass boats in other villages and making a few hundred rupees in wages.”
In Kodiyakarai, 95 fishermen accepted compensation for boats and eight have availed catamarans but dozens more are pleading for compensation from the Fisheries department.
“I lost two fibreglass boats, engines and nets worth over Rs 15 lakh and am trying to recover the losses without compensation. I lost half my income for the past year. Many of us are in dire financial straits. We request a re-evaluation and provision for some compensation for the damages as few of us received anything,” said M John Sulthan, a boat owner Several fishermen said the partial compensation they received was inadequate to mend the boats.
“We are forced to repair boats on our own due to lack of financial options like loans. A lot of us are unable to settle debts” said M Durgeswaran, leader of a fisher hamlet.
R Amal Xavier, Joint Director, Fisheries department, stated, “Our remuneration and compensation process is complete.”