Chellanam left to the fury of waves

  • | Thursday | 19th July, 2018

As the fury of the sea fuelled by monsoon lashed yet again along the Chellanam coast nothing seems to have changed. KOCHI: The government had announced an ambitious Rs 7,340 crore special relief package after Ockhi cyclone ravaged Kerala coast six months ago. They do not want to leave their homes.“We have been living here for generations. Where are we supposed to go leaving behind this land and our livelihood? The situation now is like how it was after Ockhi calamity,’’ said Harrie, a resident.Chellanam residents have for long been demanding construction of breakwaters and strengthening of seawalls.

KOCHI: The government had announced an ambitious Rs 7,340 crore special relief package after Ockhi cyclone ravaged Kerala coast six months ago. As the fury of the sea fuelled by monsoon lashed yet again along the Chellanam coast nothing seems to have changed. The sea water gushed into the same houses, destroying furniture and putting the lives of people in misery.“The sea wall promised by the government now seems to be figment of someone’s imagination. The situation now is like how it was after Ockhi calamity,’’ said Harrie, a resident.Chellanam residents have for long been demanding construction of breakwaters and strengthening of seawalls. But, their cries fell on deaf ears.“When Ockhi hit the coast in December, 2017, we staged protests in the relief camps saying that we will not move out unless our demands are met. Following the agitation, the state government assured that breakwaters would be constructed within 135 days,’’ said Shibu, a fisher from Bazaar near Maravakkad.Despite the hardships, the local people are refusing to leave their homes and go to the relief camps. They do not want to leave their homes.“We have been living here for generations. Where are we supposed to go leaving behind this land and our livelihood? The state government, district administration, local politicians and even the church are aware that we don’t have another option,” added Shibu.Officials from the major irrigation department submitted a report on Tuesday to their chief engineer stating that damages along a 45 km stretch of the seawall in Chellanam and Vypeen can be repaired at a cost of Rs 12 crore.

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