The families of two fishermen, who went missing 10 days ago, submitted a petition to Collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver on Monday seeking help in locating them. Accompanied by village elders, panchayat president and their children, Vijaya, 21, wife of Vedamanickam, and Thesarus, 26, wife of Balamurugan appealed to the Collector for assistance in the hour of crisis. The sight of Ms. Vijaya with her four-month-old child was moving. On April 11, fourteen fishermen — seven from Tamil Nadu and the rest from West Bengal and Assam — ventured into the sea from Kozhikode jetty. On April 14, a Singapore cargo ship allegedly collided with their boat off Mangalore coast. Two fishermen, Velmurugan from Kannirajapuram in Ramanathapuram and Sunil Das from West Bengal were rescued by the cargo ship. The Indian Coast Guard’s surveillance team recovered seven bodies. The fate of the remaining five fishermen is not known till date.
The Collector said the administration was in touch with naval authorities and the State government would take it up with the Centre. He informed media persons that the government had sanctioned relief of Rs. 2 lakh to the family of a fisherman killed in the collision. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu AITUC Fishermen’s Association submitted a memorandum to the Collector and urged the State government to file a case against the Singapore cargo ship claiming compensation for the legal heirs of the fishermen. State president Muruganandam and secretary C R Senthilvel said the government should engage scuba divers to find the fishermen, sanction compensation of Rs. 5 crore to the families and impound the ship until then.
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