Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Fishermen allege suppression by officials

VISAKHAPATNAM: Fishermen of Dibbapalem village have signed a “dying declaration” holding the District Administration and the State Government responsible if anything happened to them or their supporters pending their rehabilitation and settlement as agreed in the package announced by the Government in the past.

At an all-party meeting organised by the Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika at the VJF Press Club here on Monday, the fishermen handed over the letter to the association leaders expressing their anguish at the Government’s attempts to get the Gangavaram Port inaugurated by Congress president Sonia Gandhi as per schedule even if that meant reducing the fishermen and their families to corpses.

They allege that the District Administration was calling them for talks and as they came to the city, their houses were being razed to the ground with bulldozers. They failed to understand the reason for non-implementation of the package as agreed upon in the past. A fisherwoman Yelamaji said that the bus connectivity to the village was withdrawn, the beach was fenced with barbed wire and houses were being demolished when the whole family went out of their homes.

“We are living under constant fear as policemen are booking false cases against us. Our village resembles a battle ground with armed police personnel deployed all over,” said Poliah of Dibbapalem.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha State general secretary P.V.N. Madhav called for a joint struggle by all political parties to oppose the suppression of the fishermen. He alleged that the district administration and Government was trying to divide and rule by creating a rift among the fishermen and other communities in the village.

Telugu Desam Party leader Kaki Govinda Reddy recalled that the TDP along with other political parties had brought the issue of the Gangavaram firing in which a fisherman was killed in March 2006 to the notice of the Assembly. He assured that the party was committed to safeguarding the interests of the fishermen of Gangavaram.

Uttarandhra Rakshana Vedika leader S. Siva Sankar said that the District Collector had issued orders to arrest anyone who comes in the way of implementing the Gangavaram Port works but was refusing to talk to the villagers on the issue of implementation of the package. He said that vedika leaders along with leaders of various political parties would visit Dibbapalem on Tuesday to take stock of the situation and decide the future course of action.

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