Ockhi-hit slam poor response
THIRUVANANTHPURAM, DEC. 3
Protestors who alleged laxity on the part of the government in kick-starting and continuing with operations to rescue fishermen stranded in the sea after hit by cyclone Ockhi vented their anger on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his ministerial colleagues E. Chandrasekharan, Kadakampally Surendran and J. Mercykutty Amma in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday even as the death toll rose to 19.
The protestors blocked the Chief Minister for a few minutes while he was on his way back after meeting the cyclone-hit people at Vizhinjam in the evening while Mr Chandrasekharan, Mr Surendram and Ms Mercykutty Amma were subjected to heckling when they visited the areas in the morning. The Chief Minister who was scheduled to meet the victims at Poonthura later called off his visit. Early in the day, fishermen laid siege to various roads in the capital protesting the delays in serving cyclone warnings.
Meanwhile, fishermen and personnel of the Coast Guard and the Indian Navy recovered 11 more unidentified bodies, taking the toll to 19. Unconfirmed reports, however, put the toll at 24. Of them, nine bodies were found in seas in the capital and 2 from Kollam. According to official sources, around 690 people were rescued and there are 96 fishermen still missing. The fishermen in Thiruvananthapuram district started the rescue operations early on the day though the government gave them permission only later in the day. Not less than 100 boats from various hamlets joined the search and rescue mission. By the night, they, along with the Navy and Coast Guard, brought home nine bodies.
THE KERALA government said that it received the weather alert only on Nov. 30, but Union minister Alphons Kannathananm said it was issued two days earlier. Though Kannanthanam had backed the state’s opinion he backtracked and said central agencies issued early cyclone alerts.