Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited the Cylcone Ockhi-affected areas of Poonthura and Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
During his visit, Mr. Gandhi addressed a large gathering, mostly the families of fishermen who died in the sea and those who are yet to be found, and stressed on the need to form a Ministry for the fisheries sector. “The condition of fishermen is very similar to that of farmers in the country, both sections faced very difficult times. It is high time that we create a Ministry for the fishermen to look after their interests and make sure that they are protected in the future,” he said.
He also called for ‘learning’ from the tragedy to prevent such disasters in the future. “It is important that all of us learned from the tragedy, whether it is the government at the State or that at the Centre. Everybody must learn and try to improve the situation for the future. We have to build a better system of warning our fishermen before they go out into the sea,” Mr. Gandhi said.
After concluding his visit to Poonthura, he proceeded for Vizhinjam, before heading for Kanyakumari, where he will address those affected in the cyclonic storm at Chinnathurai.
He will later return to Thiruvananthapuram to participate in the birth centenary celebrations of Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader Baby John. He will also inaugurate the valedictory function of the ‘Padayorukkam’ rally led by Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, before concluding his visit to the State capital.
