Day 2: Stir brings Colachel to a halt

After the mega protest at Kuzhithurai railway station by Thoothoor fishermen on Thursday, a big group from Colachel took out a rally on Friday in support of their various demand, including the one to trace their missing counterparts.

Fishermen from villages including Kurumpanai, Vaniyakudi, Kodimunanai, Simoncolony, Kottilpadu and Chinnavilai gathered at Our Lady of Presentation Church at Colachel. A memorial mass was conducted at 10 30 am for fishermen who had perished in cyclone Ockhi.

Subsequently, they went in a silent procession from the church to the Municipal office. As more than 10,000 fishermen participated in the rally, bus services from Kamarajar bus stand were stopped and traffic was affected in the entire Colachel town.

The agitating fishermen raised slogans against the state and the Centre and demanded to declare cylcone Ockhi as national disaster. They also demanded to declare the drowned fishermen as dead and distribute compensation akin to Kerala.

Shops were closed in Colachel and a heavy posse of police was deployed. Meanwhile, fishermen from villages Puthanthurai, Enayam, Ramanthurai and Mulloorthurai took out a rally to Thengapattinam junction in the afternoon and staged a protest with similar demands.

They wanted the state government to accelerate the rescue operation and provide relief to stranded fishermen in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Lakshadweep. They also claimed that a section of fishermen might have landed in some uninhabited islands.

Meanwhile, fishermen functionaries have decided to launch a mega demonstration on Sunday in which fishermen from the entire district are expected to participate.

“We have asked the government to respond to our demands.

A few officials who visited us have assured to fulfil our demands but there is no sign of anything so far. Initially, the government should accelerate their mechanism to bring back the stranded fishermen from various places,” said C Bernard, a functionary from Colachel.

He also said that a committee has been formed to discuss the next course of action and they would meet the fishermen of the entire district to organise a protest.