Tuesday, January 11 2005 16:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Velankanni (TN): The pilgrimage town of Velankanni in Nagapattinam district, that used to be flooded with devotees from across the country, today (Jan 11, 2005) wears a deserted look!

With roofless and broken shops on either side of the road and debris strewn all over the beach, this coastal town is now a far cry from what it used to be two weeks back.

Around 650 people lost their lives and 961 went missing when the killer tsunami struck Velankanni, the day after Christmas. Majority of those missing are pilgrims who had come to renowned Velankanni Mother Mary shrine, one of the most famed Christian pilgrimage centres in South India.

Relatives of those missing allege that administration is trying to add as many as those "presumed dead" to missing persons list in order to scale down the compensation claim; there is no provision to pay compensation for missing persons.

People demanding compensation for missing relatives are being turned away by the authorities, saying that it cannot be paid unless there is a photograph of the body. The administration has put up photographs of the bodies at special cells close to police stations.

"How can I find the photograph of my father's body when I have seen him being swept away by waves," 19-year-old Jesintha says.

The district administration, meanwhile, says it has stepped up rehabilitation efforts for those who lost their homes in the tragedy.

The initial relief package has been distributed and construction of temporary shelters is in progress.

"Construction of 127 out of 800 temporary shelters with sanitation facilities has already been completed. The remaining work would be completed by Pongal," Director of Special Panchayat, T P Nirmala, in-charge of rehabilitation efforts in Velankanni, said.

"Distribution of compensation for families of those dead would begin soon. We have already disbursed emergency relief material and removal of debris is going on at a war footing," she said.

However, for owners of small shops catering to needs of pilgrims visiting Velankanni shrine - one of the most famed Churches in South India, chances of getting compensation are bleak, as their enterprises are not licensed.

With the administration ruling out compensation for unlicensed enterprises, many like Edwin Raj, who owned a small audiocassette shop shattered to smithereens by the tsunami, would find the days ahead a real ordeal.

For many others in Velankanni, a sense of scepticism has crept in. They find it difficult to accept how a pilgrim centre "blessed by divine presence" could meet such a fate, while others are slowly reconciling to the fury of nature!