Fishermen, homestay operators fret over clampdown

That, however, has not made the fishermen, tourist operators and others whose livelihood is dependent on such activities any happier. According to a State directive, no one can swim, paddle, surf or dive in the 20 km stretch from Kovalam to Mahabalipuram from October 4.

“We understand the security concerns but asking us not to go about our vocation is not fair,” said Divya, who runs a surfing school at Kovalam. “Though the clampdown has now been reduced to 10 days, it is still a loss for us because we don’t receive any compensation. This is the peak time for us, as many people would come for surfing in the sea every day. Among them, many are getting trained for participating in various competitions. If we close our school for 10 days, we would face many hardships,” she said. The restrictions have also affected several local residents operating home stay facilities, who have also been asked not to take in any unknown persons.

According to a fisherman from Mahabalipuram, he was asked by the local police personnel not to venture into the sea from October and also close the game stall that he used to run on the beach in the afternoons. “I don’t know how I would run my family during that period,” he said on condition of anonymity.

The local fishermen added that the government should extend some allowance to them so that they would not face any hardship to run their families. According to K Ramesh, vice president of the fishermen association in Kovalam, the outfit took the decision to demand compensation for livelihood loss due to the restrictions. “We will put forth a formal request to the district administration soon,” he said.