Minutes after calling on Sujith's parents at their house in Nadukattupatti near Manapparai on Tuesday to express his condolences over the toddler’s death, DMK leader M.K. Stalin pinned the blame on “shortcomings in the rescue operation”.
He also gave a cheque for ₹10 lakh to the toddler’s kin.
The government ought to have taken guidance from the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board for determining the nature of the rock and the soil before commencing the rescue operation, Mr. Stalin said. Ministers and officials appeared more keen on media briefings than on focusing on the rescue efforts, he alleged. “Going by the views of experts, the child could have been rescued while he was at a depth of 36 feet,” Mr. Stalin said. He wondered why the State government did not take the help of the disaster management machinery of the Central government or the Army. “My opinions must be construed as suggestions for addressing such situations in future, rather than criticism of the government,” he said.
To a query, Mr. Stalin sought to explain that he avoided visiting the spot during the course of the rescue operation lest it be viewed with a political angle.
Other reactions
The tragedy must serve as a lesson for the Central and State governments on the need to deploy apt technology while undertaking rescue operations in such circumstances, Congress MP Su. Thirunavukkarasar said. Endorsing Karur MP S. Jothimani's view that the rescue team did not have any viable alternative plan for saving Sujith, he said delays due to ‘ad hocism’ in the implementation of different ideas for the rescue operation had caused the child's death.
TNCC president K.S. Alagiri and Tamil Maanila Congress leader G.K. Vasan expressed their condolences to the bereaved.
