GALLE: The President of the Dodanduwa Harbour Fishermens’ Society S. K. Warusavitana said though a month has elapsed since the tsunami disaster nothing has been done to repair their damaged fishing boats in the Hikkaduwa and Dodanduwa areas.

Over 115 boats used daily in deep sea fishing have been destroyed by the ocean waves.

The estimated cost to repair the fishing nets, boats and other fishing implements is said to be between Rs. 800,000 to Rs. 2,000,000.

Fishermen say they are destitute following the tidal wave disaster and are unable to repair their boats and want naval personnel or foreign experts to be used to repair the boats.

There are about 300 destitute fisher families still in refugee camps.

It is the duty of the state which earns revenue from the fishing industry to attend to problems affecting their livelihood.

The promise of Rs. 5000 to those who lost their jobs has yet to materialize, they say. A fisherman in Dodanduwa, W. Appuhamy said he received only 12 kgs of rice, a box of matches and a can of tinned fish for the month.

In other districts fishermen were visited in their homes and rations issued while they have to stand in queues to get what is given.

"Fisheries Minister Chandrasena Wijesinghe visited us a month after the tsunami and promised loans upto Rs. 5 millions sans surety but the bank insists that the maximum that could be given is Rs. 500,000 whereas between Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 2,000,000 is needed to repair a multiday boat and buy the necessary fishing gear," the fishermen claim.

The Manager of the Fisheries Harbour, Dodanduwa J. S. Ananda Perera said the hopes of the fishermen have not yet been realised as there is a shortage of officers to estimate the damage to boats.