Stalin to lead protest against ‘inaction’ in rescuing fishermen

Chennai, Dec 11 (IANS) DMK leader M.K.Stalin on Monday said he would lead a protest demonstration outside the collectorate here against the AIADMK state government's "inaction" in rescuing fishermen from Kanyakumari caught on the sea due to Cyclone Ockhi.

In a statement issued here, Stalin, seeking rescue of fishermen caught on the sea due to Ockhi, carrying out restoration work in Kanyakumari district and providing compensation to those affected by the cyclone, said a demonstration would be held on Tuesday by the party's fishermen wing here to press for the demands.

The demonstration would be held outside the collectorate here.

Stalin also complained that different authorities are giving different statistics as to the number of missing fishermen.

He said Kanyakumari District Collector Sajjansingh R Chavan has said 623 fishermen from the district are missing whereas Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan has put their number at 197, while Chief Minister K.Palaniswami is saying 260 fishermen are missing.

Stalin termed it as a shame on the part of the state government not having a correct number about the missing fishermen even nearly two weeks after Ockhi hit Kanyakumari.

The DMK leader also said the government does not have any count of the number of fishermen who were pushed to the shores in other states by the strong winds when the cyclone hit.