Cyclone Thane, which unleashed fury across the city recently, also hit the livelihood of the several fishermen in Kasimedu by damaging more than 40 fishing vessels.
The fishermen, who are already reeling under the loss of their boats, are irked as no government official has visited their hamlets to inspect the damage and offer compensation.
Even five days after Cyclone Thane hit the state, no fisheries department official had come to inspect the damage caused to the fibre boats in Kasimedu fishing harbour, said the fishermen.
“A fishery department official who inspected damages of mechanised boats berthed in the harbour failed to assess damages of fibre boats,” said R. Dhanasekar, president of the Jeevaratinam Singaravelar Fibre Boats Owners Association.
C. Subramani, a fisherman, alleged that fisheries department officials were threatening them that the diesel subsidy would not be paid if their boats were registered as damaged. “Around 20 fishermen work in each fibre boat and keeping the boat idle will affect all of them,” he said.
The fishermen have also lost nets, GPS devices and ice boxes, which were washed away. “Without taking into account loss of nets, it would cost Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 to repair a boat,” said D. Ravikumar, a fisherman.
Ku. Bharathi, the president of the South Indian Fishermen’s Welfare Association said his association had petitioned chief minister Jayalalithaa seeking compensation for boats damaged in Kasimedu.
Efforts to contact officials of the fisheries department proved futile.
