KARWAR: It’s been a year since Suvarna Tribhuja, a fishing trawler with eight fishermen onboard, went missing off the Goa coast. Now, the families of the fishermen want to know what really happened to the ill-fated boat and want to know the whereabouts of their loved ones, who are feared dead. Nearly 137 days after the fishing vessel, which had set sail from the Udupi coast, went missing, the Indian Navy found its wreckage 33km off the Malvan coast, Maharashtra. But there seems to be no closure to the sufferings of the families of the fishermen, as the cost of lifting the boat from the bottom of the sea is almost twice the cost of the vessel. 

“We know they are not alive... but we still want to know what happened to them. We met the Karwar DC who had assured us they would do everything possible. We got the compensation... but never met the DC again. We were not even given an appointment,” rued Govind Haripant, brother of Lakshman Haripant, one of the fishermen on the boat. 

The distraught families still hope that the boat will be lifted from the bottom of the sea and investigations will begin soon. However, government sources and the fisher community have a different version. They believe that the high cost is delaying the process.  “We thought that the families will get the insurance amount if the vessel is fished out. The insurance department asked for proof of the sunken boat. When we tried to find out who can do the job, a private company came forward and estimated that the process would cost Rs 1.5 crore,” said Satish Kunder, president, fishermen association.

“The vessel costs Rs 80-90 lakh... since it is a three-year-old trawler and considering its devaluation, the boat might now cost around Rs 50-60 lakh,” he said, adding that the process to fish out the boat will cost twice its price. He said they have lost all hope of finding the bodies of the fishermen.  “ They would’ve become food for fish,” he said.

Nagraj, deputy director, fisheries department, said the department ensured that adequate compensation was paid to the families. “The department paid compensation of Rs 6 lakh, Rs 5 lakh was paid from the Chief Minister’s fund. We have also recommended that New Delhi-based Fisheries Co-operative Federation pay additional compensation of Rs 3 lakh. Fishing out the boat and bodies is the responsibility of the district administration,” he said.

Karwar DC K Harish Kumar said the Udupi DC was pursuing the matter. “SP Karwar is in touch with Navy officials in this connection. The boat is from Udupi, while five of the seven fishermen are from Karwar district,” the DC said.