THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when migrant labourers in some pockets are agitated over the restrictions imposed on them, hundreds of migrant boat workers have made fishing boats their home during lockdown period. They are not keen to shift to special camps set up by the government for migrant labourers. They are surviving on the provisions and fuel supplied by boat owners in Kollam, Er nakulam and Kozhikode. Besides they have preserved fish caught from their last fishing trip to make fishcurry meals. Almost all boats are used for multi-day fishing and they have facilities for cooking.
“Many of the migrant labourers are not permanent employees. But we have taken good care of them and they feel safe staying in the boat,” said state president of All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators’ Association (AKFBOA), Peter Mathias. Ever since the government imposed restrictions on all boats, they have been anchored near harbours. The majority of them can be found on the eastern side of the Neendakara bridge in Kollam which has the largest number of boats in the state.
Around 1,000 boats have been anchored on the 8-km stretch in the Ashtamudi lake from Neendakara to Thoppilkadavu. According to Mathias, there are around 250 migrant labourers in Kollam alone. Some of the boats have as many as five labourers. There was a plan to shift the workers to camps on Monday. But the authorities too thought the boats were a better place for the workers to stay during the lockdown. “We have decided against shifting them as it was found that they were safe in boats.
The chances of them mingling with others are less when the workers are confined to their respective boats,” said Deputy Director of Fisheries (Marine), M Thajudeen. He said the officers were in touch with them and that they would intervene when required. AKFBOA has demanded the government to take care of the migrant workers as it was not practical to manage them in the long run.