Chennai: Covid-buffeted boat repairers hope tide will turn

CHENNAI: The 60-day east coast fishing ban ended at midnight on Monday and coastal fishing from Chennai has resumed, albeit on a small scale, but boat repairers, among the worst affected by the pandemic, hope the tide will turn in their favour.
All vehicles require maintenance and fishing boats are no exception. However, unlike a car or a truck which can be driven to a service centre for mechanics to take over, getting a fishing boat to the repair yard at Kasimedu involves at least 20 people struggling for more than three hours before specific mending work can be taken up.
Since the pandemic struck last year, this group of unorganised workers whose area of expertise is drawing a boat from the sea to the shore for repair have been badly hit. “Usually, during the fishing ban, at least 50 boats requiring repairs were in the yard at any given time. This year, there are a mere 10 boats,” said M Hari Krishnan, 64, of Kasimedu who has been doing this for the past four decades.
Before the pandemic struck, such workers used to earn at least ₹10,000 a month; over the past year, they have barely managed ₹3,500 a month.
After the boats are pulled ashore, they are supported by wooden poles after which damages to the keel (base of the ship) are attended to. Carpentry, fibre repairs, painting, wiring and other work is also done. “Unlike the huge ships which sail into a yard after which water is drained out to attend to repair works, fastening fishing boats to the shore involves physical labour and a livelihood of about 150 families is dependent on this alone,” said 43-year-old A Babu, a worker.
Work has been sparse for the past one and half years and the workers, who possess no other skill, are finding it tough. Their livelihood is dependent on boat owners flourishing, but deep sea fishing is itself due to hike in prices of diesel and ice among others, say stakeholders. “Owners either stopped operating or request us to reduce our usual prices. Since we understand their situation, we don’t negotiate,” said Hari Krishnan.
The state government plans to construct a boat repair yard at Kasimedu, and the workers hope that a majority of them will get absorbed in the workforce despite the possibility of fastening boats ashore for repairs becoming a mechanized process.