‘Include fishers in disaster management policy’

Peer Mohammed, Convenor, Rebuild Kanniyakumari Movement, said that the fishermen have been treated like second-class citizens, which was painfully evident during the recent Cyclone Ockhi. “We saw that the National Policy of Disaster Management, 2009, has no policy on disasters at deep sea. This was evident during the recent disaster, when fishermen were stranded, and the Indian Coast Guard and Navy was pressed into the rescue services. There has also been downgrading of the disaster management architecture in recent time, reducing the number of members in National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). In October, the State Institute of Rural Development, which dealt with coastal disaster risk reduction, was shut down and personnel were sent out, resulting in a lacuna during a disaster,” he said. 

Former bureaucrat M G Devasahayam, Chairman, People’s Parliament for Unity & Development, was in the cyclone-hit area during the disaster. “There is a criminal negligence on the part of the state, in responding to the disaster. This is a total failure of the disaster management response,” he alleged.

The group also passed resolutions, which included the formation of a working group, as normalcy has not been restored, even weeks after the disaster. 

Other resolutions highlight the need of a functional disaster management system, with a state-of-the-art communication mechanism, mapping of fishing vessels, integrated coastal development plan, including the fishermen. “Often, fishermen are ignored. But since they have a specialised knowledge of the sea, fishermen should be recruited more into the Coast Guard and Navy, to ensure that they can provide not only coastal security but also aid in rescue and relief operations,” said Mohammed.