Fishermen, who live in fear of increasing sea erosion in Kozhikode district, have sought the intervention of the State and the Central governments to revise the existing Punargeham rehabilitation scheme by adding more financial benefits. Representatives of fishermen associations pointed out that the existing offer of ₹10 lakh was hardly sufficient for relocation within the Kozhikode Corporation limits.
Most families living in vulnerable areas demand at least ₹15 lakh to relocate, as no property is available within the city limits for the fund promised by the government. The annual expenditure on seawall reconstruction or damage repairs would be sufficient to meet their relocation needs, they said.
Even after forming people’s committees in coastal areas of the district, there has been no progress in implementing the rehabilitation scheme. The main responsibility of the committee was to identify affected families and prompt them to cooperate with the project. However, many potential beneficiaries insist that the government should increase the fund.
Though the project has been under implementation for many years, less than 25% of the total eligible families have cooperated. The total number of families needing speedy rehabilitation in the district has been identified as 2,606. However, fewer than 600 families have accepted the package, which offers ₹10 lakh for purchasing three cents of land and constructing a 600-sq ft house. Many view it as a “poor package” that does not address their needs.
Fishermen are hesitant to shift to the small 600-sq ft houses promised by the government as they are concerned over the limited space. They pointed out that the ₹10 lakh package for purchasing land and constructing a house was inadequate, especially considering current market conditions.
Another major reason for objection was the potential distance of the new properties from the coastal area. A majority of the fishermen sought properties closer to fishing harbours and fish landing centres. Many were also reluctant to accept the scheme as they were unwilling to leave behind their close-knit coastal community.