Ockhi should be declared national calamity: MK Stalin

Chennai: Alleging that the Tamil Nadu Government has “lost its capacity” to handle the rescue operation to trace fishermen missing due to Cyclone Ockhi, Opposition Leader M K Stalin on Tuesday asked Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to direct the naval forces to trace them and bring them back to the shore.

Dashing off a letter to Sitharaman, Stalin also demanded that the Union Government declare the damages due to Cyclone Ockhi as “national calamity” and taking urgent steps to provide all required financial assistance for the relief and rehabilitation of those affected.

Contending that people in Kanniyakumari district are “totally disappointed” with the rescue and relief operations, Stalin told Sitharaman that the “conflicting, misleading and contradicting statements” of Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan stand testimony to the “tragic failure of the inefficient government.”

“Surprising all the statements and interviews so far made on the missing fishermen issue, the Chief Minister of the State has, on his part, yesterday disputed the statements of chief secretary and fisheries ministers of his own government. He has now come out with a figure of 294 missing fishermen,” Stalin said in the letter to the Defence Minister.

From the contradictory statements, it is crystal clear that the state administration has “miserably failed” in its basic duty to protect the people from the “worst cyclone.” Stalin asked Sitharaman to use all “scientific and technological means” at the command of the Defence Minister to find out the exact number of missing fishermen.

“I am confident that our naval forces possess effective ways and means to find out the missing fishermen,” the DMK working president said.