The Hindu Business Line : Where fisherfolks are literally at sea

Mechanised fishing vessels washed ashore near Royapuram, along the Ennore High Road in Chennai after tidal waves hit the coast on Sunday. — Shaju John

Chennai , Dec. 27.

A 10-km stretch of road beyond the fishing harbour at Royapuram in North Chennai gives a sampling of the loss of human lives and property caused by the tsunami that hit Tamil Nadu's shores on Sunday morning.

Living along the seashore, the fisherfolk are among the most affected in terms of life and property.

Along this road, where the fishing harbour is located, wrecked boats are strewn on the boulders that line it to stop sea erosion. Many cranes are busy trying to salvage whatever possible - in most cases just the engine blocks - from the wreck.

On the landward side are smashed huts, many with people mourning over the bodies of their relatives who lost their lives in the disaster.

Moving along the road in an almost continuous stream are funeral processions.

The boats are 45-footers each estimated about Rs 12 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. When a boat is lost, apart from the financial loss to the owner, it is a loss of livelihood to six families, those dependent on the six individuals who make up the crew.

The owners are at a loss, nobody can afford to insure such fishing vessels. Unless the State Government or Centre extends support, they will loss their livelihood, they say.

Tsunamis are a new experience. The fishermen are more used to the violent waves that lash the shores during the monsoons. The boats were anchored inside the fishing harbour. But the surge of water rushed in and swirled out carrying the boats along with it and set them adrift in the open sea. Then the subsequent waves that followed finished off the job, smashing the boats on the boulders, says Mr P.K. Anandan, an owner of a fishing craft. What now? None of the owners is sure.

According to Mr Shanmugham, another owner of a mechanised fishing vessel that lies torn to bits, none of the vessels is insured. Only the crew of the vessel is insured, that too through a Government scheme.

"It would cost about Rs 45,000 - Rs 60,000 to insure the boat and I simply cannot afford it," he says.

A few other owners who spoke to Business Line echo similar sentiments.

According to Mr K. Prabhakaran, who is overseeing the salvage of his boat, most owners are hoping to recover the engine. Workers are also engaged in retrieving other bits of metal - nails, nuts and bolts - any scrap of some value.

So what is he going to do? He shrugs. Maybe the Government will help, he says.

More Stories on : Natural Calamities | Tamil Nadu

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