Ockhi: Kin of missing fishermen to get Rs 20 lakh

CHENNAI: In an attempt to offer solace to the bereaved families of the missing fishermen during Cyclone

Ockhi

- some 177 of them from

Kanyakumari

- the state government has decided to extend compensation of 20 lakh each, without declaring them 'dead', within three months.

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami will give away cheques for 10 lakh to kin of each missing fishermen on Wednesday and the remaining 10 lakh will be deposited in a joint account.

A person who is declared missing for more than seven years can be presumed to have died under Section 108 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Assistance, if any, will be extended only after seven years.

Nevertheless, the government set up a high-level committee to conduct a detailed inquiry on the missing fishermen and looked into the modalities of extending the relief.

"We have not got the bodies. There is 99.9% chance that they are dead. Only the technicalities matter. That is why, we have relaxed the rules," fisheries director

G S Sameeran

told TOI.

Fisheries minister D Jayakumar said the relaxation was an exception given the devastation of the cyclone. "The order could be applied in future too if the destruction is on a higher scale," the minister said.

Having learned the lessons, the state government swung into action speedily when the met department issued a warning a few days ago about a low pressure over Gulf of Mannar and

Comorin

area and advised fishermen from venturing into the sea.

The well-marked low pressure is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify into a deep depression during next 48 hours. Sameeran said that about 80 to 90 TN fishing boats have reached the shores of Kalpeni and

Kavaratti Islands

of

Lakshadweep

following alerts.