Thiruananthapuram: Kerala Region Latin Catholic Council (KRLCC) said that more than 150 people who ventured out to the sea during the days of cyclone Ockhi were missing.
According to the government, only 92 more fishermen are to be located. KRLCC spokesperson Shaji George said here on Tuesday that of the 375 persons who went to the sea for their livelihood, only 162 have returned and more than 50 lost their lives.
The council demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit the cyclone-affected areas and declare the incident as a national disaster. It also demanded that the Centre should immediately announce a Rs-1,000 crore relief package. They also asked to expedite the setting up of ministry of fisheries.
The council demanded that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan should convene an allparty meeting and a delegation should be sent to the Centre to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister The delegation should include representatives from the coastal areas and it should submit long and short-term development projects before the centre. It urged the government to relax the guidelines for sanctioning financial assistance to the kin of those who were lost in the sea. It also asked for more facilities for those living in relief camps, The Times of India reported.
George said that the government should utilise the knowledge of coastal people and should reserve 20% of the total number of posts in the Coast Guard for candidates from coastal belt.