The authority is not only clueless about the number of missing fishermen but also their whereabouts even six days after the tragedy, Kummanam Rajasekharan pointed out. Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan owes a public apology for his failure in handling the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said on Tuesday.
The Latin Catholic Church’s criticism of the authorities for their failure in issuing timely alerts which could have saved fishermen’s lives is, in fact, directed at the chief minister, said the BJP leader.
“Precious lives were lost owing to the incompetence of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, which is under the chief minister,” he said.
The authority is not only clueless about the number of missing fishermen but also their whereabouts even six days after the tragedy, Kummanam pointed out. The State had spent less than one per cent of the Rs 1,021 crore allotted by the Center for disaster relief activities, he added.
Though Central agencies had issued several timely alerts, the chief minister is repeating his stand that the State received the warning only on November 30. By ignoring the weather warnings, the State Disaster Management Agency had failed in its primary responsibility of saving lives.
The chief minister should be charged with non-culpable homicide over the issue, demanded Kummanam.
He also sought the resignation of revenue minister E Chandrasekharan over the lack of coordination in conducting rescue operations. He pointed out that the charge was raised by CPI, the minister’s own party.
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