Fishermen affected by Gaja cyclone are peeved at what they describe as the tardy pace of the Government machinery in disbursing compensation for damaged boats. Their grouse over the ‘paltry’ amounts fixed as compensation for partially and fully damaged boats is another matter.
Two months after the disaster, the affected fishermen have just begun to receive the compensation for partially damaged boats. They are yet to get compensation for fully damaged boats.
The affected fishermen say the compensation routed to them through the Fisheries department is just ₹35,000 for partially damaged fibre boats and ₹ 85,000 for fully damaged boats. As for mechanised boats, the compensation is ₹50,000 for partially damaged ones and ₹3 lakh for fully damaged ones.
After the 2004 tsunami, the fishermen were in a position to get their boats repaired. But cyclone Gaja had deposited lots of slime clay into the motors rendering the boats useless, said Ramesh of Pushpavanam.
The fishermen say they are at a loss to make out the mechanism formulated by the government for fixing compensation. After tsunami, the government paid a compensation of ₹75,000 for a completely damaged fibre boat. Fourteen years later, an increase of just ₹10,000 has been made. The calculation defies logic, Murali, a representative of fishers in Akkaraipettai hamlet said.
The cyclone inflicted the worst damage in the stretch between Kameswaram and Arcottuthurai.
As per official figures of boats maintained by the district administration for the purpose of providing diesel at subsidised rates, there are 742 mechanised boats and 1,245 country boats and fibre glass boats in Nagapattinam district. Of them, about 940 boats have been reported to have been damaged either partially or fully, sources said.
Each mechanised boat is entitled to 18,000 litres of subsidised diesel per annum. For every country boat and fibre glass boat, 4,000 litres of subsidised diesel is provided. The lesser number of boats venturing into the sea due to the grounding of the hundreds of damaged ones is reflected in the low utilisation of diesel. The diesel usage has picked up only moderately, the official admitted.
The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation streamlines diesel supply to fishermen through exclusive fuel outlets at Pazhayar, Thirumullaivasal, Akkaraipettai, Arcottuthurai and Poompuhar in Nagapattinam district, at Mallipattinam in Thanjavur district, and at Kottaipattinam and Jegathapattinam in Pudukottai district.
The fishermen say the possibility of sustaining the diesel usage for the boats does not arise as the compensation being paid for the hundreds of damaged boats is too meagre to resume operations.
“The cost of a fibre boat, for instance, ranges between ₹2.5 lakh and ₹4 lakh. Nets, motors and other fishing gear will cost a few lakhs of rupees more. We are totally stranded,” Mr. Murali said.
