THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram Latin Catholic Church Archbishop M. Soosapakiam met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday to discuss issues related to Ockhi cyclone relief including the setting up of a judicial commission to inquire whether there was a lapse by any official or department in Ockhi cyclone relief work. There was a demand to include expert fishermen in all rescue operations.
The government should publish the names of all fishermen who have been stranded in various parts of the country and neighbouring countries including their names and address, the Archbishop said in the petition submitted to the government. The State Government should also take steps to ensure that the Ockhi rehabilitation package was as per the law.
The government should take steps to provide special chartered flights to bring back fishermen stranded in various ports in the country and neighbouring countries. Steps should be taken to bring back the boats and equipment of fishermen with the help of the navy, the petition said. The petition also asked the state government to pressurise the Central government to announce Cyclone Ockhi as a national disaster. The state government should also demand the central government form a separate Fisheries Ministry. The state should also pressurise the centre to include sea disaster in the list of natural disasters.
Majority of cyclone victims identified: CM
The Chief Minister on Wednesday said majority of the persons who died in the cyclone have been identified. But still there were bodies in mortuaries in Thiruvananthpuram and Kozhikode which remain unidentified. DNA test and other modern scientific methods were being adopted to identify the victims.
The defence personnel engaged in search operations are receiving inputs from fishermen about bodies floating off coast at some places. The teams are moving in such directions to retrieve bodies. While some went in big fishing boats, many also went in small boats.
