Enhance the compensation to families affected by Ennore oil spill, EPS urges government

Edappadi K. Palaniswami urges TN govt to enhance compensation for families affected by Ennore oil spill, demands higher relief for fishermen.

AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday urged the State government to enhance the compensation announced for the families affected in Ennore by the oil spill from Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL).

In a statement, he pointed out that if the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had frequently monitored and reviewed the industries in the area, the oil spill would not have occurred. This showed the lack of administrative skills of the present government, Mr. Palaniswami said.

The former Chief Minister pointed out that the State government had announced a relief amount of ₹7,500 each to the 6,700 families affected by the oil spill, ₹12,500 each as a relief amount to 2,300 families belonging to the fishing villages, ₹10,000 per boat for repairs.

The announced compensation was low, especially when the livelihood of people dependent on fishing was affected, he said. Mr. Palaniswami said fishermen, who staged a protest seeking higher compensation, had been arrested.

He strongly condemned the DMK government for the arrest of fishermen and urged the government to withdraw the cases registered against them.

Mr. Palanisawmi urged the government to factor in the current inflation levels and provide an amount of ₹50,000 per boat, ₹30,000 each for fibre reinforced plastic boats and ₹25,000 for fishing nets.

He also said the relief amount to the affected fishermen should be doubled.