THOOTHUKUDI: When the tsunami struck Thoothukudi’s Vembar coast, among other places, in 2004, not only did it cause large-scale destruction of lives and property, but it also snuffed the light out of many people’s lives.
After the tsunami, some people were shifted to Sintha Nagar nearly 20 years ago, and continue to live in darkness till date.
In Sintha Nagar, a small hamlet with nearly 45 families and about 180 people, the scene is one of apathy and neglect. A community whose livelihood is predominantly based on fishing, people’s lives here are marred by poverty and terrible living conditions.
With meagre earnings, Sintha Nagar residents live in thatched huts, with no toilets or sanitary facilities. A common water tap was provided after multiple requests to the Vembar south panchayat, locals said.
"There are at least 50 children in the school-going age group. However, around 23 students study at the Kshathiriyar Hindu Nadar school, a government-aided school, while others help their parents with fishing", said Gunasekaran, an activist from Vembar.
When TNIE visited the hamlet, Priya, a resident, said, “Half of the children drop out of schools after class 8. Boys usually stop going to classes at the age of 15 and go fishing with their fathers. Some students light candles or use flashlights on mobile phones to study. One girl is preparing for her class 12 exam under such difficult conditions.”
“The children go to school, but they have no electricity to study or complete their homework. Sometimes, they study under the street lights,” said Panchavarnam, the village head.
Although the villagers have mobile phones, they charge them at nearby shops, paying the shopkeepers Rs 10.
The womenfolk of the village get employment for 100 days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and sometimes as farm coolies during cultivation season. During other times, they mend fishing nets or make dry fishes, a fisherwoman said.
While the women in the village are the hardest hit due to abject poverty, many men waste their earnings on alcohol, the women rued.
Owing to a lack of sanitary facilities, a woman in the hamlet said they go to the Seemai Karuvelam forest at night to attend nature’s call. “Life is hard for people in the hamlet,” she added.
Meanwhile, an elderly person complained that due to poor education, many youths go astray and take drugs and other vices.
According to sources, the fishermen belong to the Valaiyar clan of the Mutharaiyar community and go fishing using the karavalai, a traditional method in which two groups are formed and a net is dragged in the sea from the shore.
After the tsunami, the families located near Vembar beach were moved to Sintha Nagar. Eventually, some families were provided with houses in the Tsunami Nagar in Vembar, while others were not shifted as they had come from other places and settled in later. Sintha Nagar has been identified as porambokku land (arid land) in the village records, sources said.
“It is true that some of our relatives and others settled with us after the tsunami. However, it is the responsibility of the government to provide them with proper houses,” locals said.
The families here have appealed to the government to provide them with a permanent settlement, with power connections, and improve their living standards. Without providing an alternative, the panchayat has been trying to evict us, the villagers claimed.
Although a private entity has expressed willingness to construct houses for these families, they can only do so if the government identifies lands for the purpose. “We can provide solar power to these hamlets so that the children can study,” a person connected to the private entity told TNIE.
Vembar South Panchayat president Arokiyam refused to comment on the issue.