After the death of 6 fishermen in Visakhapatnam boat accident, the Boat Owners Association has accused the state government of failing in safety. The association president said that the rescue operation is a question mark. At the same time, YSRCP also criticized the government and promised compensation to the families of the victims.
East Coast Mechanized Fishing Boat Owners Association of India president Vasapalli Janakiram highlighted administrative lapses after a fatal boat accident off the Gangavaram coast and said the state government has completely failed to save the lives of fishermen.
Speaking to ANI, the President of the East Coast Mechanized Fishing Boat Owners Association of India addressed the fatal accident that occurred on July 4 and stressed the state government’s stand on the safety concerns of fishermen. He said, “On July 4, a fishing boat capsized near the Gangavaram coast. About 6 fishermen lost their lives in that incident. The search operation, the rescue operation, everything remains a big question mark. The Andhra Pradesh government completely failed to save the lives of the fishermen. At least the Andhra Pradesh Home Minister should have held a review meeting regarding this incident, but she did not do so.”
Questions raised on the safety of fishermen
Highlighting the growing threats posed by heavy rains and cyclonic weather in the region, he further warned, “Now the coming season is rainy season, which will bring floods, cyclones and super cyclones. Thousands of fishermen will venture into the sea during this period.”
“What about the safety of lives of these fishermen? The government has completely ignored the issue,” said Vasapalli Janakiram.
Severe shortage of disaster response equipment
Citing acute shortage of disaster response equipment and urging immediate technological upgradation, he said, “Chief Minister, we are requesting you to take care of the lives of fishermen… Police stations are there, but they have no real outcome.”
Highlighting the lack of life-saving equipment despite central funding, he said, “We also ask: What happened to the NDRF? The Government of India releases funds for the NDRF every year, and the state government accepts these grants, but you are not implementing the search operation system or equipping rescue operations… You do not have speedboats, you do not have enough lifebuoys, and you do not have lifejackets; nothing is available.”
“We should technologically modernize every aspect of the communication system developed for fishermen when they go to sea… This is completely objectionable,” said Vasapalli Janakiram.
YSRCP announced compensation
Meanwhile, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders confirmed that the party, if returned to power, will provide a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of each of the six fishermen who lost their lives in the Visakhapatnam fishing boat tragedy, besides giving a new fishing boat to Chinna, a survivor who lost his livelihood in the accident.
According to the release, this assurance was given while distributing financial assistance of Rs 49 lakh (Rs 7 lakh each) to seven affected families, including Chinna’s, through checks personally signed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy from the party fund.
Targeted at coalition government
YSRCP leaders said that if the government had started the rescue operation immediately instead of delaying it for almost 18 hours, the six fishermen would have survived. He criticized the coalition government for not meeting the bereaved families even after 15 days and said the administration limited its response to an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for each family.
He also questioned Fisheries Minister Atchannaidu citing eye surgery as the reason for not meeting the victims, while taking time out to criticize YS Jagan, and said Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha limited her response to a video call instead of meeting the families in person.
The leaders recalled that YS Jagan personally met the families of the victims, provided financial assistance and stood by them in their time of grief. He also highlighted the welfare measures introduced for fishermen during the previous YSRCP government, including increased oil subsidy, Matsyakar Bharosa and pension benefits at the age of 50 years.
Asserting that the fishermen deserve respect, protection and timely government support, YSRCP leaders said the party will continue its fight until each affected family gets a compensation of Rs 1 crore, and reiterated that the future YSRCP government will also provide a new boat to Chinna and ensure comprehensive rehabilitation for the families of the victims.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by the Asianetnews editorial team and is published from a syndicated feed.)