The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Wednesday said a timely storm alert would have saved the lives of hundreds of seafaring fishers lost to Cyclone Ockhi that ravaged Kerala.
Acting chairperson P. Mohandas observed that officialdom could not shrug off the responsibility for the oversight that plunged coast-dwelling fisherfolk families into the depths of despair and deprivation. Many households lost their breadwinners. Thousands of fishers lost their boats and fishing gear to the turbulent sea. Their livelihood was now in jeopardy.
Prompt action on the part of the Indian Meteorological Department, the Fisheries Department and Centre and State governments could have saved the day for them, Mr. Mohandas said.
The SHRC ordered the District Collector, Thiruvananthapuram, State Police Chief, IMD and Fisheries directors to file sworn statements detailing why they did not expediently communicate the severe cyclone warning to the fishing community.
He gave them time till January to state their case.
Human rights activist Ragam Rahim had moved the SHRC stating that Kerala with its long coastline and large fishing community had no credible system to warn fishers of inclement weather and hazardous seas. It had no boats to conduct deep-sea search and rescue operations. The government appeared to accord the lowest priority to the safety and welfare of fishers who battle high seas daily for a living.
The State had invested hugely in coastal police stations but to no avail. None of its patrol boats were seaworthy. They were designed to operate only in littoral waters. Of the three boats, two had been dry-docked for repairs.
The Fisheries department’s sole rescue boat was not seaworthy and has remained moored ever since it was purchased for ₹65 lakh.
Mr Rahim alleged that the intensity of the storm and the scale of the unfolding disaster had stupefied the authorities. They were too bewildered to calibrate a response. They failed to stage a search and rescue in the first 24 hours, angering the fishing community.
In the face of their wrath, the beleaguered administration cobbled together an ill-coordinated search with the help of rented boats and fisherfolk volunteers. Help came 24-hours late for the hundreds stranded in the cold stormy waters.
The Government had budgeted ₹121 crore for the State Disaster Management Authority and another ₹475 crore for fisherfolk welfare. It should explain how they spent the money, he demanded.
