THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: VS Sivakumar, MLA, urged the state government to fulfil its promises made to the fisher community after the cyclonic storm Ockhi wreaked havoc in the coastal areas of the state on November 30, 2017.
According to him, the Fisheries Department had deceived the fishers who lost their loved ones. They had been promised jobs, relief in debts, home to the homeless and others. “The government had failed to fulfil its promise. After the cyclone struck as a relief measure it had offered a permanent job to around a hundred fishermen but it offered a temporary job to 43 persons.
Now, the fisheries minister says that the Latin diocese also has a role to play in bettering the lives of the fisher folks who were affected by the cyclone. This shows the double standards of the government, ” said Sivakumar. As per records, 143 fishermen were reported either dead or missing in the cyclone. It also damaged 384 fishing vessels, 446 fishing nets, and 532 houses. In Thiruvananthapuram alone, the cyclone killed 50 fishermen.