Kanyakumari-based State government’s ‘search boat’, which used to be pressed into service on getting SOS from fishermen in distress at the high seas, will be stationed at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) jetty soon, Collector M. Karunakaran said.
Raising this issue at fishermen’s grievance day meet held at Radhapuram, some of the participants said that the search boats meant for Tuticorin and Kanayakumari districts had been anchored in harbours in the respective districts, and hence search operations could be commenced immediately on getting distress calls from fishermen.
However, there was no ‘search boat’ for Tirunelveli district though it had 13 coastal hamlets, they said.
Dr. Karunakaran said the ‘search boat’ meant for the district had been anchored at Chinna Muttom fishing harbour as there was no proper jetty or harbour in Tirunelveli district. When some of the participants pointed out the availability of a jetty at the KKNPP, the Collector ordered the fsheries officials to station the boat at the KKNPP.
S.V. Antony of Uvari and Liguori of Kooduthaazhai appealed to the Collector to ensure construction of a fishing harbour at an appropriate spot in the district so that the Tirunelveli fishermen, who had been practising traditional fishing methods with small fibreglass boats, could switch over to modern fishing practices with mechanised boats.
Stalin of Idinthakarai demanded a cold storage facility for the village. A group of fishermen from Koottapuli appealed to the Collector to sanction permanent concrete houses being built under ‘KKNPP Neighbourhood Development Programme’ to their village too, which was immediately accepted.
Dr. Karunakaran said that a branch of Indian Overseas Bank would be inaugurated at Koottapuli, and asked the villagers to cooperate with the bank in identifying a building. Some of the fishermen suggested that the unused community hall in the hamlet could be used for the purpose.
“If the bank wants to convert it into a branch, we’ll bear the expenditure,” they assured. The Collector said that the branch at Koottapuli would be ready for inauguration before September-end.
‘Boat for Tirunelveli district anchored at Chinna Muttom’
