Kochi: Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal has come down on the role of Navy and Coast Guard in assisting the people of the island when the cyclone Ockhi hit the island on Friday and Saturday. “Both Navy and Coast Guard have own facilities on the islands and Navy has two ships and Coast Guard one ship stationed there, but both of them failed miserably to rescue people or help in rehabilitate them in Minicoy and Kalpeni. I have sent a complaint to the Defence Ministry in this regard also,” Mr Faizal told DC on Sunday
He commended the role of Lakshadweep administration in swinging into action after getting the cyclone alert and evicting people to safe zones and taking other measures for safety and food. “That is why there has not occurred any casualty due to the severe cyclone. Some NGOs and the police and the people of the island also assisted,” he added
Lakshadweep was limping back to normalcy on Sunday with weather brightening up but both Minicoy and Kalpeni which bore brunt of the cyclone Ockhi remained ravaged while the Lakshadweep administration dispatched the body of a Tamil fisherman washed ashore at Kalpeni back to Tamil Nadu. Lakshadweep administrator Farooq Khan said that no other person was reported dead from the area. Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal said that the initial estimate put the loss at least at Rs 500 crore.
“Many facilities including wharf and break water, desalination plant, airport have been severely damaged in both Minicoy and Kalpeni. The trees including coconuts have been uprooted and they have fell on houses destroying them. The roads are blocked with trees fallen on them All tiled roofs of houses have been taken away by the wind. It will take several weeks for both Minicoy and Kalpeni to return to normalcy. Kavarathi is better off,” Mr Faizal told DC on Sunday.
