Fishermen leading miserable life

-In sufficient earning
-Lack of facilities forced them to migrate

Srikakulam: Unlike any other traditional occupations, fishing is a tough task, safety and lives of fishermen depending on sea always. As a result of lack of facilities here for fishing and to earn sufficiently for livelihood fishermen belonging to sea coast villages in Srikakulam are migrating to Veraval in Gujarath state every year. Fishermen of 40 sea coast villages in Vajrapukotturu, Santhabommali, Gara, Srikakulam rural, Etcherla and Ranastalam mandals of Srikakulam district are migrating to Veraval every year in the month of August and returned after eight months in April.

Fishermen from D.Matsyalesam, Rallapeta, K.Matsyalesam, S.Dibbalapalem, Badivanipeta, Budagatlapalem Allivalasa, Kovvada, Kottamukkam, Ganagallavanipeta, Pukkallapeta, Narasayyapeta, Kunduvanipeta, Bandaruvanipeta, Balarampeta, Kottapeta, Hukumpeta, Nuvvalarevu villages of all the above mandals are migrating in seeking earning sources to Gujarath and Manguluru coast in Karnataka state.

Migrated fishermen are engaging as workers with fish traders there and working in three categories as kalasi, cooker, thandelu (driver of the boat). For kalasi montly salary is Rs 7,000 for cooker Rs 6,000 and for thandelu Rs 10,000 to 12,000. Fish traders from Gujarath paid Rs 50,000 and Rs one lakh as advance to fishermen here by cashing their poor financial status and necessities. Later fishermen are forced to hunt fish by mechanized boats till clearance of their debts.

Fishermen are unable to take bath for a period of 25 days till they reached shore and not available quality food and their safety also in question always due to natural calamities and border area confusion. Recently 20 fishermen from Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts are being detained by Pakistan coast guards.

Poor financial status, lack of fishing facilities like jetties and harbours, lack of government assistance to purchase mechanized boats fishermen from backward district like Srikakulam are forced to migrate other areas for earning.

‘Mini jetties proposed at Budagatlapalem, Bhavanapadu, Rallapeta but yet to take even single step for it, fishermen are not being provided loans to purchase boats as a result they are migrating to other areas’ sea coast fishermen union district president, Moogi RamaRao and general secretary, Moogi Gurumurthy said.

‘Governments are neglecting welfare of fishermen since from the beginning’ fishermen unions’ convener, Chintapalli Suryanarayana said.

‘We are in worry and spending sleepless nights as our kin were detained by Pakistan forces and requesting all leaders and officials and waiting for good news’ G.NukaRatnam, K.Sirisha wives of detained fishermen at Pakistan, G.RamaRao and K.Yerrayya. Another detained fisherman, K.Raju’s mother, K.Thotamma also expressed same grief.

‘Mini jetties proposed at Budagatlapalem, Bhavanapadu, Rallapeta and we are waiting for government nod and providing assistance under all schemes to purchase nets’ joint director for fisheries, VV Krishna Murthy explained.