Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 26 December 2024
The families of ten fishermen from Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar Island, continue to wait for the insurance payouts promised following the tragic loss of their loved ones while fishing during the 2004 tsunami. These fishermen, who were engaged in fishing at sea when the devastating waves struck, were initially reported missing. After seven years of uncertainty, they were presumed dead after being unaccounted for.
According to local sources, all licensed fishermen under the Fisheries Department of Andaman and Nicobar Islands were insured under an insurance policy, with an insurance company, at the time of the disaster. However, despite the submission of all necessary documentation to claim the insurance money, the families of the deceased have yet to receive the promised amount of Rs. 2,00,000 per person.
B Chandar Sekar, a fisherman from Great Nicobar and a relative of some of the deceased, explained that he and other affected families had submitted the required documents for the claims multiple times. Even two decades after the loss of their loved ones, the families have not received any insurance payouts. When they inquired about the status of their claims, the Fisheries Department reportedly told them to check their accounts, but no payments had been deposited.
The issue has been raised repeatedly by local politicians and elected members of the Panchayat Raj Institution (PRI) of Great Nicobar with the Fisheries Department. Despite these efforts, the families have only received vague assurances that the claims would be processed “soon,” with no concrete action taken.
In a conversation with Nicobar Times, Mr. Koteshwar Rao, General Secretary of the Campbell Bay Mandal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a fisherman himself, expressed his frustration with the ongoing delays. He stressed that, after 20 years, the affected families are still hopeful that their legitimate insurance claims will eventually be honoured. Rao called for the Fisheries Department to prioritise this long-overdue matter and expedite the processing of the claims.
As the families of the deceased continue to seek justice, the question remains: when will the insurance money, which is rightfully theirs, finally be credited? The community of Campbell Bay and the broader Great Nicobar Island wait for a resolution to this longstanding issue.
(Note: A total of thirteen fishermen from Great Nicobar lost their lives during the 2004 Tsunami. However, only ten of them were eligible for insurance claims, as the others either lacked proper licenses or were unable to submit claims due to various other reasons.)