Nearly 70 people were killed after the cyclone wreaked havoc along the southern districts in the state.Thiruvananthapuram: Recovering from the devastation caused by the Cyclone Ockhi in late 2017, the Kerala government has set the ball rolling on a technological safety net to deal with any future disasters. The state Budget has earmarked Rs 100 crore to put in place the technological infrastructure to lessen the damage from an Ockhi-like catastrophe.
The state government had come under fire for the way it dealt with the cyclone warning and the rescue operations. Nearly 70 people were killed in the cyclone in the state.
Finance minister T M Thomas Isaac also announced a special package of Rs 2,000 crore for the fisheries sector in the budget presented in the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Friday.
The spending on technological infrastructure is expected to bolster the fisheries department’s efforts to equip fishermen ahead of an emergency.
Every fisherman who goes to the sea is expected to register with a system designed by the department. Every fishing boat is expected to be fitted with a GPS unit to make the job of rescuers easy in times of crises. Naval and IAF teams could spot a boat in distress easily if it is fitted with GPS.
The government will put in place a satellite-based system to send out weather forecasts and emergency alerts to fishermen’s mobile phones. The budget has a provision to provide free wi-fi spots along the coast to keep the fisherfolk connected to the network.
The plan is already on, overseen by the state executive committee of the State Disaster Management Authority. The committee is headed by the chief secretary.
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