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How a fisherman came to fear the sea
Many people saw the arrival of the Krishnapatnam Port Company in Sri Potti Sree Ramulu Nellore district, as this district is official called, in 2008, as a boon.
Many people saw the arrival of the Krishnapatnam Port Company in Sri Potti Sree Ramulu Nellore district, as this district is official called, in 2008, as a boon.
But it upset the world of Yellangari Ramanaiah, 35, and his fellow fishermen, who used to live by the sea.
They were shifted out and given alternative concrete houses and some compensation.
Dredging for the port brought their fishing to a standstill.
Instead, the fishermen began earning a living by cleaning the roughly 7,000 trucks that daily bring iron ore headed to China from the Bellary mines in Karnataka.
“We earn decent money, but there is no satisfaction,” says Ramanaiah, the community leader.
He owns a house, a car and a truck. But not everyone is doing as well, especially over the past seven months, after the trucks stopped coming because of mining scam in Bellary.
The women don’t sell dried fish any more. The younger generation doesn’t know the art of fishing.
Their only hope is to find a job in the port, something hard to come by.
Many say they cannot afford to buy the fish they used to catch. They have come to fear the sea and its big ships.
