One year of agony for many

It is a long wait for compensation for those not on priority list

Fishermen have resumed their livelihood after the Cyclone Ockhi disaster. A scene on the Shanghumughom beach in Thiruvananthapuram where fishermen heave a boat to the shore after the day’s catch.

On November 29, 2017 Martin stretched his boat to its limits to save himself from the furious waves triggered by Ockhi. Almost 31 km to the shore, he broke both his engines and had to leave behind everything when the rescue boat arrived after 12 long hours.

One year into the incident, the fisherman says despite completing all formalities he is yet to receive any compensation. “Fisheries officials have been asking me to wait during all these months. They said since all the crew members on my boat survived, I am not a part of their priority list,” he says.

“Now, I have been summoned to Thiruvananthapuram and they say the government has sanctioned ₹4 lakh,” he says.

Another case

It took Leader more than 10 hours to cross its usual 1.5-hour distance and finally when the vessel reached the nearest shore at Kolachal it was severely damaged. The crew could save the boat but they lost many equipment and nets in the process.

Kasim, the owner of the boat, says they had to keep the boat there for 20 days before bringing it back to Munambam. “All electrical equipment, including the generator, were damaged beyond repair. They had cast the nets when the storm set in and they were left with no other option but to leave everything behind. Each net costs over ₹80,000 and I lost around ₹4.6 lakh,” he says.

He adds even after repeated visits to officials there has been no news of the promised compensation.