The Hindu : Front Page : When fishermen came to the mainland

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 05, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

When fishermen came to the mainland

K. Manikandan

Fishermen of Kovalam come to the rescue of stranded residents at West Tambaram on Sunday. — Photo : A. Muralitharan

CHENNAI: "You helped us a lot when the tsunami ravaged us. We have now come to return the favour."

These words came straight from the hearts of fishermen from Kovalam, who rescued the beleaguered residents of West Tambaram. The group of 36 fishermen, mostly youngsters, undertook several boat trips to the marooned localities and shifted pregnant women, newborns, the sick, the aged and the physically challenged to safer areas. Thulasingam, former president of the Kovalam Panchayat, said a call from the Fisheries Department of Kancheepuram at 3.30 p.m. on Saturday spurred them into action. Two hours later, they were at West Tambaram with two 30-foot-long boats atop vans.

"There was so much of water that our boats touched the first floor of houses," said Ranjith.

The rescue operation on Saturday lasted till 10.30 p.m. As there was no power supply, they took the help of local residents. They used a powerful torchlight to reach as many households as they could. The operation was easy as they were able to propel the boat using a motor.

But as the level receded by Sunday afternoon, the propeller scraped the ground. Till Sunday evening, the fishermen had rescued more than 1,000 people.

Now they are the heroes of the entire locality. R. Kumar, secretary, Lions Club of Chitlapakkam, said the gesture of the fishermen was heartening. "They did not accept a single paisa from the residents, some of whom willingly offered a few hundred rupees. Only after a lot of pressure, they accepted food from us," Mr. Kumar said.

The rescue mission was extended to Manapakkam near Porur in response to a request from the Government

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page