Ockhi Cyclone Dec-2017 Report English

4. It is shocking to see the lack of robust responses by the elected -
representatives, particularly with regard to the indifference shown by the local
Member of Parliament, who has not even bothered to visit all the affected
fishing community.
5. Since 1990s, the policies of the Indian government, which permitted trawlers
and foreign vessels to fish in areas where traditional fishing was being carried
out, has forced the Indian fisherman to venture further into the sea in search
of fish, often sending them more than 300 plus NM. The Tamil Nadu Marine
Regulation Act, 1983, allows registration for boats with length up to 15 metres
only, these boats are not suitable for deep-sea fishing and as a result many of
the boats are not registered and hence have no access to insurance or any
benefits, such as subsidised diesel and are forced to buy diesel at market
price.
6. There is no registry of arrival and departure of boats maintained at the fishing
harbours, hence there is no account of the fishermen who were at sea and did
not return after the cyclone. Such a registry would have helped in identifying
persons who had not returned.
7. The disaster management systems installed post tsunami have evidently
failed in Kanyakumari district. While there was no early warning dissemination
by the IMD and SDMA, the Kanyakumari administration relied on individual
phone communications rather than alerting people as a whole through public
communication systems and channels. In the aftermath of the tsunami, large
investments have been made in developing and installing public alert systems
which are now out of operation.
8. The community, in collaboration with the Church, has played a remarkable
role in attending to the physical, emotional and psychological vulnerability of
its people. In this context, the state must recognise the local communities
whilst responding to disasters. The difference between the language of the
government and that of the community was stark and troublesome.
Bureaucratic responses tend to emphasise policy details and demographic
numbers and more often than not the language of suffering is completely
muffled.
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