R. Lakshmi (23), a mother of three children, has appealed to the district administration to trace her fisherman-husband, who is feared drowned while fishing on the high seas in the early hours of September 24.
In a petition submitted to Collector K. Nanthakumar here on Monday, she said that her husband G. Ravikumar alias Bakiyaraj set out for fishing with three other fishermen from Mandapam in a trawler on September 23 and did not return to date.
The three other fishermen, who returned to the shore the next day, said that Bakiyaraj went missing on the high seas while they were returning to shore around 3.30 a.m. The three fishermen searched for him in the area but could not trace them, they had said.
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As reports suggested that her husband could have drowned, the Collector should help her to know what had happened to him.
The Fisheries Department and Marine Police of the Coastal Security Group gave up the search operation after a day’s search on September 24, she said. A school dropout, Lakshmi said that her husband was the sole bread winner of the family and was taking care of her three young children and aged parents.
Unable to bear the agony, she made a suicide attempt but was saved by neighbours, she said.
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Had her husband drowned, the district administration should help trace the body and help her get employment so that she could take care of her children and aged in-laws, she said. She also requested the Collector to get her compensation in the event of the death of her husband.
The Marine Police had said that the four fishermen were about eight nautical miles off Olaikuda in Rameswaram when Bakiyaraj accidently fell into the sea and went missing.