Cyclone Tauktae: Fishermen in Palghar narrate how they survived, rue widespread damage to boats

Barely a month ago Suresh Panduli 48 and his partner Laxman Khikuti 50 from Arnala had bought a secondhand fishing boat for Rs 610 lakh and spent Rs 32 lakh repairing it On Monday the vessel was destroyed by Cyclone Tauktae The duo is among the many fishermen who lost their vessels in the cyclone While the government has pegged losses at over Rs 78 lakh fishermen say the amount is much higherTheir boat Bhola Shankar had been anchored at Arnala beach Around 430 pm the boatrsquos anchor rope snapped and it started drifting haphazardly ldquoWe thought we would be able to sail it out of the rough sea I started the engine but soon I lost control over its steeringrdquo Panduli saidA propellor from Francis Dedursquos boat Moshe right Suresh Panduli and Laxman KhikutiWhen the duo realised that the boat cannot be saved they jumped into the sea ldquoWe tied ropes around our waists with their ends connected to two buoys and jumped into the sea around 445 pm leaving our boat to sink We both were also connected by a rope and would often pull each other if we drifted apartrdquo said PanduliAlso Read Use Tauktae window to make jumbo centres rain readyThe duo swam for over four hours and reached Advan village Around 9 pm they reached Usnani village where the locals gave them first aid and helped them contact their familiesBhola Shankar on the other hand is lying damaged in Advan villageMoshe after the cycloneldquoWe have lost everything Nothing is saved We have incurred a loss of Rs 45 lakh We were already incurring losses due to the lockdown and this cyclone has ruined us completelyrdquo said PanduliOnly livelihood lostAnother fisherman Francis Dedu was cleaning the wreckage of his fishing boat Moshe at his Arnala residence on Friday ldquoI purchased it secondhand three years ago from Madh island for Rs 35 lakh and spent on repair workrdquo said DeduHis relative Rebecca Dedu said ldquoFishing is our only livelihood We were already hit by the lockdown and now our livelihood is completely destroyed in the cyclonerdquo ldquoThe families of 16 people who worked on the fishing boat have no means to earn an incomerdquo she addedMoshe was found damaged near Datiware Kore villageBoat Bhola Shankar before the cycloneThe Assistant Commissioner of Fisheries department for Thane and Palghar districts Anand Palav said ldquoWe are in the process of counting damaged boats So far 17 fishing boats have been completely damaged and three have been partially damaged across Palghar districtrdquoPalav said that the losses could rise as panchnamas are being conductedldquoThere are 46 landing points in Palghar district where our officials are visiting to conduct panchnamas of damaged fishing boatsrdquo Palav told middayFisherman Francis Dedu shows a picture of his boat Moshe before the cycloneChairperson of The Arnala Fishermanrsquos Sarvoday Sahakari Society Ltd Vijay Thatu said ldquoSix fishing boats from Arnala have been damaged The four boats including Easter Moshe Natal Mauli and Jesus were registered with our society the other two Dattatrey Digambar and Mount Merry Bhole Shankar are registered with another societyrdquo said ThatuldquoThe total loss to our society members is Rs 120 crorerdquo he addedLocal school for fishermenrsquos kids damaged too losses amount to Rs 20 lakhThe school in Arnala where children of fishermen study too was damaged during Cyclone Tauktae Father of St Peter Church Marathi Primary school Dr Michael Rosario said ldquoThe cyclone has badly damaged the school where children of poor fishermen study We have always helped the government in times of need by letting them use our school premises But no one has conducted a panchnama here yetrdquoThe schoolrsquos roof flew away in the cyclone and classrooms have been damaged PicHanif PatelldquoA large company of SRPF stayed in our school for four months from September to December 2020 because there was no accommodation for them The electricity bill came up to Rs 47000 but they did not bother to payrdquo Dr Rosario said ldquoToday when my school is damaged no government official has visited despite writing a letter to the gram panchayat to conduct a panchnamardquo he added The asbestos roof of the school was blown off in the cyclone The strong winds also twisted the blades of ceiling fans and the computer room was destroyedldquoThe total loss is not less than Rs 20 lakh How will I get the funds This is a school that serves poor childrenrdquo Dr Rosario said