The fishermen families living in small shanties are passing sleepless nights whenever the sea was turbulent sea particularly during the rainy season and stormy weather.
Telugu speaking fishermen having their lineage to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh live in this colony. While a majority of them are settled here permanently, many of them shuttle between Andhra and Puri during the winter to catch fish. However, their names figure in the local voters list. The cluster is divided into three seats of the municipal council.
There was chaos in the colony during the recent Tsunami alerts and the administration had a tough time to evacuate them to safer locations.
But their mind set has since changed. The danger of Tsunami and the strange behaviour of the sea have now made them plead before the authorities to relocate them in a safe place.
In the past all attempts of the administration to shift the cluster was strongly protested by the fishermen leaders and because of political intervention it was still there.
We have represented with the Collector to shift our colony to the outskirts of the city and away from the sea, but close enough to carry out our daily fishing activities, said Babula Prasad, the chief of PENCODE, a leading NGO working for the development of the fishermen community.
According to M.D. Barik, executive officer of the civic body, an area of 22 acres land along the sea cost was identified by the administration for settlement of the fishermen. The same, however, could not be allotted as it was found to be forestland. Another such proposal was cancelled as the land came under the sweet water zone.
We have been told that the government was planning to relocate our colony along side the Nuanai river. But the administration has not taken any visible steps despite our repeated requests, Prasad rued.
It is high time the government should take steps to save the fishermen living in the colony from aggression of the sea, Prasad said.
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