CHENNAI: No fisherman was stranded at sea in the wake of cyclone Gaja as the fisheries ministry had taken necessary measures on a war footing to ensure the safety of fisher folks and protect their boats and equipment, Tamil Nadu minister D Jayakumar said on Friday.The fisheries minister said the government had taken necessary steps based on the experience -- referring to cyclone Ockhi that lashed the southern part of the state last year-- to ensure the safety of fishermen and protect their equipment and boats.“There are 4,926 mechanised boats and 18,364 country crafts in the coastal districts. Fishermen have been advised well in advance to return to safety and anchor the boats in fishing harbours. They did, but several boats were damaged beyond repair due to the cyclone. Several boats have also been gone missing as they were pulled into the sea in the cyclone,” Jayakumar said.“With the help of the central government, we facilitated the return of 22 out of 38 fishermen whose boats moved to Sri Lankan waters due to cyclone. The remaining fishermen will be back soon from Sri Lanka. Of the 173 boats that reached the Sri Lankan coast, only 53 machined boats are fit to be brought back. The remaining boats are damaged severely in the cyclone,” the minister said.The fishermen, who reached Nellur, Krishnapettai and other coastal areas of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, have been assisted by a team of officials.The minister said 22 special teams under six deputy directors of fisheries department had been dispatched to the cyclone-hit districts to access the damages in fishermen community. “They are expected to submit the report after enumerating the damage to the boats and equipment,” said the minister.The team would access the damage to the boats in 333 fishermen hamlets in Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, and other districts and enumerate to extend relief measures, he said.The government would take necessary steps to rebuild the lives and livelihood of the farmers at the earliest, he added.Jayakumar welcomed DMK leader M K Stalin’s appreciation of the relief measures taken by the state government. The government was taking all possible efforts to restore normalcy at the earliest, he added.

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