A Profile on Tsunami affected Hamlets in Cuddalore District

A PROFILE ON
TSUNAMI AFFECTED HAMLETS IN
CUDDALORE DISTRICT

SONANKUPPAM HAMLET

Compiled by:

Sherine, NUNV, Cuddalore & Villupuram,

UNTRS - TN

-1-
 A Profile on Tsunami affected Hamlets in Cuddalore District

Introduction:

The term “SONAN” in Sonankuppam is derived from “Sonakar” who once ruled this area; the
other view is “SONAN” is derived from the name of a Muslim man who established this settlement
long ago. It is said that the settlement originated some 500 years before. This hamlet is
th
organizing 180 Masi Thiruvizha, a Hindu Religious festival this year. This gives us a picture that
the settlement might be two centuries old.

Sonankuppam and Singarathoppu hamlets are part of the Cuddalore Municipality, which come
under the Municipal Ward no. 37. For several years the three communities (Gori, Singarathoppu
and Sonankuppam hamlets) were using small boats to reach the city – manifold. The proposal to
construct a bridge across the Urappanaar river was mooted as early in the 1980’s but it was
materialized only two year before i.e., in 2002. The major reason for delayed commissioning of
the bridge was due to the conflict between the three communities, attempting to influence the
entry point of the bridge near their settlement. Finally in the year 2002, the bridge was
completed. Though the absence of bridge had never been immobilized them, the opening of the
bridge facilitated their mobility and brought benefits, which is beyond their expectations.

Geographical Description:

The piece of land on which four settlements Gori, Singarathoppu, Sonankuppam and
Devanampattinam hamlets are located looks like an islet, separated by a river called Urappanar
and backwaters from the main land Cuddalore. The islet surrounded by sea on the east, river
and backwaters on the west and the south, connected to the main land by narrow stretch of land
in the north.

The location of the settlement as a part of the growing town where a full-fledged port facilities to
land medium sized ships in the past has benefited the communities in many ways. The port,
which provides landing facilities for a large number of STB boats and IB boats from various
places has created a large fishing market, which is a source of attraction for a sizeable number of
fish merchants, commission agents and export companies. This local advantage though not
created an ideal environment, provided a level playing ground for many of the stakeholders in
fishing. The port, the river, the city - all these factors contributed for the development and
sustainability of fishing in Sonankuppam.

Social Structure:
The community in Sonankuppam hamlet mainly comprised of a homogenous caste group called
“Chettiars” (also called as Pattinavars) but they are not having any conjugal relationship with the
other Chettiars in the inland. Fisher folk belong to this caste seems to be concentrated on the

-2-
 A Profile on Tsunami affected Hamlets in Cuddalore District

coastal belt of Tamil Nadu from Chennai to Nagapattinam and this community is being listed as
Most Backward Community (MBC).

Profile of Sonankuppam
Population Religion Occupation Tsunami affected
(Family wise)
Male Female Hindus Others Fishing Allied Others Dead Missing
Activities
1215 1120 550 6 855 72 29 42 3

The youngsters in Sonankuppam in general are not interested in talking about caste issues. The
we-feeling within the community is given more preference than caste categorization among the
youngsters. Though arranged marriages between different fishing communities are rare but love
marriages are not resisted upon. Though they claim that there are frequent political conflicts,
which indicate their involvement in party politics, they were unable to specify the reasons for that
and advantages of their political involvement.

Total population of this hamlet is 2335, where 1215 are male and 1120 are female. 550 families
belong to Hindu religion and 6 families belong to other religious group. 455 families were
involved in fishing activities.

Political Structure:

“Panchayat system in fishing villages seems to be an integral part of the social life of fisher folk
and Sonankuppam is not an exemption to this. As per a printed document (letterhead), it is called
as “Sonankuppam Village Panchayat” (the term “Village Panchayat” refers to a structure
established by the villagers themselves, not the Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRI) established after
rd
the 73 constitutional Amendment) Act. The Village Panchayat in Sonankuppam comprised of
14 members.

People of Sonankuppam hamlet elect the Panchayat members on an annual basis. While the
president is the ultimate leader, the villagers treat all those associated with the Panchayat with
equal respect and reverence. On one-side fights, fisticuffs and heated arguments seem to be
standard feature in fishing communities. On the other side the sense of unity among the fisher
folk is also very strong and the dictates of Panchayat are supreme.

-3-
 A Profile on Tsunami affected Hamlets in Cuddalore District

The Sonankuppam Panchayat comprises of 14 members, out of which four hold the executive
positions like the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and the remaining ten are
Members. It is assured that each major street will have its representative in the Panchayat.

Tsunami Relief & Rehabilitation activities in Sonankuppam hamlet:

Responses to Tsunami disaster seem to he

varying depending on the devastation at the
household level. It is said that families, which
lost its members especially small children and
aged at the verge of death are considered as
fortunate to receive compensation for death.
Families, which lost its properties and became
bankrupt were not fully compensated and were
considered as unfortunate.
Restoration of livelihood activities in Sonankuppam hamlet

Comparative table on Relief and Rehabilitation activities in Sonankuppam hamlet

Sl.No Activity Sonankuppam hamlet Cuddalore District
1 No. of people affected due to 1,789 people 90, 561 people
Tsunami Disaster
2 Rs. 1000/- monthly sustenance 1,006 people 20,067 people
allowance
( Feb, Mar, Apr, May 2005 )
3 Rs. 2000/- relief to livelihood 203 people 8213 people
affected families
4 No. of people died in 42 610
Tsunami
5 No. of houses damaged 1,006 15,200
6 No. of families provided 324 shelters 2,502 shelters
Temporary shelters
7 No. of families considered 176 shelters 2,328 shelters
for Permanent Shelters

The District Administration & NGO’s took lot of effort in rebuilding this affected hamlet also. A
committee is formed by the hamlet people to channelise the relief activities immediately after
Tsunami. This committee does the coordination activities related to Tsunami relief &
rehabilitation along with the District Administration & NGO’s. The Functional element in this
Tsunami relief committee is that it enabled the relief workers to identify and reach the affected
victims quickly. World Vision took care of the construction of Temporary shelters (324 houses) in
this hamlet.

-4-
 A Profile on Tsunami affected Hamlets in Cuddalore District

Details of relief packages distributed to the Tsunami affected people in Sonankuppam hamlet
Sl.No Packages Beneficiaries
1 Rs. 2000/- relief to livelihood affected families 203 people
2 Rs. 4000/- relief to shelter damaged families 803 people
3 Rs. 1000/- monthly sustenance allowance 1006 people
( Feb, Mar, Apr, May 2005 ) (Sl no 1+2)
4 One lakh to the next of kin of deceased 42 people
5 Amount disbursed for missing persons Rs. 1,50,000/-
6 Rs. 136.4 lakhs for Catamarans 625 cases
7 Rs. 8.35 lakhs for FRP boats 73 cases
8 Rs. 70.6 lakhs for Mechanized boats 52 cases
9 Amount disbursed to nets & engines Rs. 69,02,000/-
10. Rs. 12,000/- relief disbursed for loss of livestock 3 beneficiaries
11. Amount disbursed for purchase of lands for Permanent shelters Rs. 27, 75,178/-
construction

176 families are considered for the permanent

shelter in this hamlet. Land for Permanent Shelter is
identified at Chellankuppam hamlet for the affected
people of Sonankuppam (176 houses),
Singarathope (173 houses) and Akkaraigori (85
houses) hamlets. World Vision, Indian Council for
Child Welfare – TN and CASA are the three NGO’s
doing Permanent Shelter construction in
Chellankuppam hamlet.

Source:

1. Reports from NGO’s involved in Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation activities at Cuddalore
District
2. Primary information gathered from the Villagers during visits
3. Datas from Tsunami relief and rehabilitation section, Cuddalore Collectorate
---------------

-5-