Tuesday, January 11 2005 15:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Nagapattinam (TN): As the district administration concentrates on rehabilitation efforts in tsunami-ravaged villages in Nagapattinam, a recent chain of rumours doing the rounds has adversely affected efforts to bring back a sense of normalcy to the coastal areas.

There are occasional rumours of the possibility of another tsunami strike in the area and the residents, who are traumatised by the tragedy, just run away from the coast fearing for their lives.

A recent incident, which created panic throughout Nagapattinam, occurred a couple of days ago when the rumour of a tsunami attack made people flee their homes with whatever belongings they could get hold of. The efforts of the police to convince the locals not to create panic, however, failed.

We were so afraid that we just ran for our lives, even though a few policemen tried to convince us not to do so. The tsunami has taken our near and dear away from us, many of them dying before our own eyes. So, we can't take any chances," says Muthuvel, a fishermen in Akkarapettai village in Nagapattinam.

"There were reports that buses coming to Nagapattinam from nearby Thiruvarur district returned following rumours. The people here who ran after these buses in their effort to flee from the area were thus convinced that something terrible would befall them.

However, the district administration has come out with steps to ensure that rumours do not create panic among locals and affect the ongoing rehabilitation efforts.

"We have asked the police to take necessary steps to check such rumours. The public address system in the coastal areas would be used not only to warn people about any eventuality but also to request them not to panic in case of rumours," T Radhakrishnan, who recently took over as District Collector, Nagapattinam, said.

"Besides this, we would select a group of youth from each village under the 'Friends of Police' programme so that they work in tandem with the police to quell such rumours. Besides assisting the police in their duties, these volunteers would ensure that they are the last ones to flee in such panic situations," he said.

The administration is also trying to convince people not to believe rumours that the fish in the area is unsafe for consumption. Samples of fish from Nagapattinam were sent to the Fisheries College and Research Institute in Tuticorin for analysis, which revealed that fish consumption was not dangerous.

"The results of various examinations conducted on the samples of fish showed that there were no disease causing bacteria like vibrio cholera, suggesting that there is no threat of epidemic disease by consumption of fish," Radhakrishnan said.