Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jan 14: Even a month after the fishing boat, 'Suvarna Tribhuja' which set sail from Malpe fishing harbour with two fishermen from this district and five from Uttara Kannada, went missing under mysterious circumstances, the families continue to wait for their breadwinners to return home. With each passing day without any information about the fate of the fishermen, the families are feeling helpless and going through despair. The wait is becoming more agonizing with each passing day

The boat had disappeared within two days after leaving the shore on the night of December 13. Many fishermen and their organizations believe that the boats and fishermen have been kept in confinement in Deogarh Malvan areas of Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra. The families hope that the central government will come to their help and dispatch army contingents to Sindhudurg which is covered by hilly terrain and hence is very difficult for ordinary people to access.

Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts Fish Marketting Federation president,Yashpal A Suvarna, has accused the state home minister of convening a meeting just as a measure of eyewash and pointed out that the minister has not even convened meeting of home secretaries of three states as promised. He also mentioned that Indian Space Research Organization chairman has confirmed that no one has contacted the organization so far seeking help in locating the whereabouts of the fishermen. He wanted the state to immediately prevail upon the central government to deploy army, failing which he sought resignation of fishing and home ministers owning moral responsibility for their failure.

The families are pinning hopes on repeated assurances given during the divine query made at religious Nemas in which the spirits appearing through human 'Patris' have said that the fishermen are in a difficult terrain and that the divine would ensure their safe return. The houses of the missing fishermen have been witnessing relentless tears trickling down the faces of the family members who are overtaken by the fear of the unseen and unknown. The families of Chandrashekhar Kotian and Damodar Salian from Badanidiyur Pavanigudde, have been constantly hankering to get some information about the missing fishermen. Damodar's mnother, Seeta Salian, has become bedridden now while father, Suvarna Tingalaya, who was already sick, has suffered furtherloss of health. The families and villagers of the fishermen have repeatedly offered prayers at the temples and sought rescue through the divine spirits. Their hopes now cling on the assurances given by the spirits and the possibility of timely deployment of army and its possible success in the rescue mission.