THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has asked the Indian Armed Forces and the Coast Guard to continue search operations for fishermen missing in high seas post-Cyclone Ockhi for 10 more days.
In an urgent communication to the Indian Navy, Air Force and the Coast Guard on Saturday, Chief Secretary KM Abraham urged them to continue and sustain the search operations for the next 10 days. Based on the success, the search operations will be reviewed and further decisions would be taken to extend the operations.
The chief secretary asked the Navy and Coast Guard to mobilise a sufficient number of ships at Vizhinjam to take fishermen to the deep seas in their search, rescue and retrieval operations. The fishermen should be taken on board the ships and interceptor boats.
He further directed the Thiruvananthapuram district collector to mobilise a small team of fishermen from Pozhiyoor who will volunteer to join the search operations from Vizhinjam. The Navy and Coast Guard vessels going for search operations will have one officer from the district administration on board.
The health department has been asked to mobilise adequate storage and treatment facilities for retrieve bodies at Vizhinjam and other important coastal centres. Instructions were also issued for the Marine Enforcement boats to step up surveillance on the coastal waters along Vizhinjam, Pozhiyoor and Poonthura.
The communication was issued to Rear Admiral R Nadkarni, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command, Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Air Command and Additional Director General K Natarajan, Coast Guard Commander (Western Seaboard) in addition to the Thiruvananthapuram District Collector.
The chief secretary said the directives were issued as per the instructions by Union Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman who recently visited the state to review the cyclone rescue operations.
He pointed out that fishermen along the Thiruvananthapuram coast have alerted about spotting floating bodies in the high seas. The fishermen have requested to intensify steps to retrieve these bodies and rescue the survivors. In addition, the fishermen have requested to take them on board rescue ships and interceptor boats.