Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur
Udupi, Nov 13: State minister for ports and fisheries, Mankala Vaidya, visited and inspected the site of the fire disaster at Manganese Wharf in Gangolli village on Monday afternoon.
Expressing sorrow over the incident in which about eight fishing boats and one boat parked in the Manganese road were accidentally caught on fire and completely burnt, he discussed the matter with the concerned department officials and local fishermen.
Later, minister Mankala Vaidya addressed the media, stating, "My thoughts were different when I came here, but looking at this is very distressing. I know the plight of fishermen, and I understand their suffering. Therefore, I have already spoken to the chief minister and deputy chief minister of the state about the incident. I won't make any announcement for now with the intention of giving more compensation to the aggrieved fishermen. I will sit down and talk to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, and I will make a sincere effort to provide whatever the government can give them. The department and the government will stand by to help and cooperate with fishermen in difficult situations. Work will be done to pacify them and provide justice."
Police and the Fisheries Department are conducting separate investigations into the incident. As thousands of crores of assets are in the port areas, the construction of a pump house will be planned and carried out by the department or the insurance company at the port. In the port area, the fisheries and port department have to look after it. If the panchayat is collecting, they are responsible. We will take action to fix the system in the coming days.
MLAs Yashpal Suvarna and Kiran Kumar Kodgi, former minister Kota Srinivasa Poojary, and BJP District General Secretary Sadananda Uppinakudru were among the officials who visited the site and inspected the damage.
Talks with local fishermen leaders were held to discuss the incident and console the affected individuals. After discussions, it was revealed that the fishermen, who depended on the sea for their livelihood, suffered a loss of around 10 crores during Diwali. On Thursday, five MLAs of the district and members of the Legislative Council will meet the Chief Minister and request special relief. Since it has been completely destroyed, the government should help the fishermen rebuild their lives. A meeting with the insurance company will be held under the leadership of the MP, and efforts will be made to release the insurance compensation amount as soon as possible. The five MLAs of the district will make sincere efforts to provide more relief from the government.
Former minister Kota Srinivasa Poojary, while visiting the site, expressed concern about the loss of crores of rupees in the fire disaster. Nine boats, boats, dinghies, and nets were burnt, leading to the complete ruin of the lives of the fishermen. He emphasized the need to meet the Chief Minister and the Fisheries Minister of the state to request more compensation from the government. The fishermen who lost their boats in the incident should be given compensation and grants to make a living and build new boats immediately.
BJP district general secretary Sadananda Uppinakudru, Gangolli gram panchayat president Srinivasa Kharvi, Gangolli Fishermen's Cooperative Society president Sadashiva Kharvi Kanchugodu, fishermen's leader Ramesh Kunder, gram panchayat members, Ports Department officer Gaus Ali, Fisheries Department assistant director Anjanadevi, Gangolli police station sub-inspector Harish R, former panchayat member Shobha G Putran and fishermen leaders were present on this occasion.