KOCHI: Two fishing boats anchored near the Chellanam Harbour were completely wrecked after they crashed against the sea wall after strong winds lashed the area on Wednesday night. The incident took place between 8 pm and 2 am. Around 70 families depended on the boats. The loss is estimated to be around Rs 1.5 crore. “Both the boats were anchored at about half a kilometre away from the coast. After anchoring the boats, the fishermen came to the shore on small boats. When they returned around 2 am, they could not find the anchored boats. Later it was found crashed on the sea wall,” said Chellanam grama panchayat president K P Thankachan.One of the boats was made of steel, the other was wooden. The wooden one was destroyed to pieces while the steel boat was heavily damaged. “Around 35 families depend on each of the boats. Both the boats are uninsured. The boats were brought through group loans from the Matsya Fed and private financial institutions. The boats, nets and other equipment together cost about Rs 1.5 crore. We have informed Dominic Presentation MLA about the mishap,” said O F Sebastian, grama panchayat member.Dominic Presentation said the issue would be considered favourably and presented before the Chief Minister. “It is learnt that the wrecked boats were not insured though the boats, net and equipment were worth Rs 35-40 lakh each. The lack of insurance may become a hostile factor for the owners of the boat. Since they are poor fishermen, they deserve government assistance. I have asked them to come to Thiruvananthapuram to meet the Chief Minister directly,” he added. The wreckage is attributed to the strong winds that lashed the coastal areas. “The anchor was apparently broken because of the strong winds. After breaking away, the boats were driven to the sea wall and they got destroyed. It is a heavy loss to the fishermen,” said the grama panchayat president. The fishermen did not venture into the seas on Thursday morning owing to rough weather. Sources from the Fisheries Department said that though the wooden boat was completely destroyed, the steel-bodied one still has scope for repair. The Fisheries Department has asked for a crane from the Kochi Port officials to salvage the steel boat so that it could be repaired. However, port officials have said that such facilities are unavailable with them.
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