Minister Appala Raju Visits Visakhapatnam Harbour After Fire Incident

Visakhapatnam: On a call from Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, fisheries minister Seedari Appala Raju rushed to the fire-hit Visakhapatnam fishing harbour on Monday morning.

The minister inspected the scenario, interacted with the owners of the affected boats and spoke to various associations connected to the harbour.

Later, the minister told the media that 80 per cent of the damage caused to boats would be compensated after enumeration. Some 39 boats were completely damaged and nine boats suffered minor damages, he said.

The minister said the police were investigating the case. The chief minister has promised to do justice to all the fishermen who suffered losses in the fire accident, he said.

He said a fire station and a police outpost would be established in the harbour. A floating fire tender from the Navy doused maximum fire, he said.

The minister later met the boat owners and told them about the CM’s announcement of compensation. Following this, the boat owners called off their agitation.

Visakhapatnam South MLA Vasupalli Ganesh, who hails from the fishermen community, was one of the early visitors to the port. He told the media that “those who indulged in the mischief would not be spared.”