Dead fishermen’s kin turn to CM for relief

Published Date: 10-July-2009

G Saravanan

Chennai, July 9: FOR Selvi, wife of Panaiyur Kuppam fisherman R Elumalai and who went missing in March 1996 and was later found dead near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh after 10 days, the wait for getting the financial relief from the government gets longer and longer as the official machinery is ‘still processing’ her application.

Thirteen years have passed by now, but the officials in the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department are still processing my application for financial relief (given to family m e m b e r s o f d e a d fisherman),a visibly upset Selvi told Express.

A lot has changed in Selvi’s life after the unnatural death of the sole breadwinner, husband Elumalai (reg no-156 in Panaiyur Kuppam Fishermen Cooperative Society) 13 years ago.

Though she struggled a lot during these years to bring up her three children, it was her two sons who dumped their school bags to become breadwinners for the family. With their earnings from fishing, Selvi married off her daughter to another fisherman in the locality.

“Within a month’s time, I moved an application with the State authorities seeking financial aid meant for family members of dead fishermen, but my agonising wait for the relief still continues,” Selvi said.

Selvi is not alone, there are more than 400 families across the State still waiting to receive such relief money from the government for years, said K Bharathi, president of South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association (SIFWA).

Of the 400-odd families, around there are 70 missing cases and very few of them (around 10 missing fishermen families) have received financial relief of Rs 50,000 from the government till now.

Since the processing of such claims are getting delayed inordinately (against the stipulated seven years period for settlement), we appeal to the Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to set up a separate committee in the fisheries department to specifically look after the issue, Bharathi demanded.

To render speedy justice for intruding Lankan fishermen, we have a joint interrogation committee (JIC) and the fishing community in the State would be happier if such committee is planned for settling claims of fishermen, he added