Middlemen eat into solatium paid to fishermen

RAMANATHAPURAM: A group of middlemen has been allegedly exploiting the fishermen, whose names were newly included in the beneficiary list for getting solatium in Rameswaram Island.The AIADMK government has recently doubled the solatium -- given by the government to meet the expenses of the fishermen during the 45-day ban period from April 15 to May 29 -- to Rs 2,000.  Due to this, more and more fishermen have started to register their names with various fishermen societies. But, some middlemen have allegedly made use of this opportunity in the coastal areas. In Pamban region, innocent fishermen were duped by the middlemen who promised to make arrangements for getting the compensation amount.They even collected Rs 1,000 as service charge from each fresh applicant. They have utter disregard for the system, wherein the fisheries department officials  distribute cheque worth Rs 2,000 to the fishermen in person.Many beneficiaries came to know about the real procedure only after they faced inordinate delay in getting the compensation through middlemen. Following this, verbal altercations erupted between the fishermen and middlemen in some areas in Rameswaram. As they are yet to get the amount, the affected fishermen have now decided to petition District Collector Arun Roy.