Cyclone Ockhi dissipated over the Arabian Sea, missing the coast of Gujarat. The cyclone, that claimed at least 37 lives in Kerala, has left a trail of destruction in its wake.
- Tamil Nadu CM writes to PM Modi, seeks financial aid from the Centre
- Cyclone Ockhi dumps 80,000 kgs of trash on Mumbai’s coastline
- Gujarat’s coast out of danger as Cyclone Ockhi dissipates over the Arabian Sea
- The cyclone claims at least 37 lives in Kerala and 13 lives in Tamil Nadu
- Rains due to the cyclone affected election campaigning in poll-bound Gujarat
67 Persons Caught in Storm Return to Kochi Coast
Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of Ockhi cyclone continued for 10th day on Sunday, even as 67 persons caught in the storm, returned to Kochi coast.
A Indian Air Force transport aircraft covered 10,880 square nautical miles south of Kanyakumari coast in the Indian ocean, a Defence spokesperson said.
Another AN-32 aircraft along with local fishermen conducted search and rescue operations.
Meanwhile, Latin Catholic Church in Thiruvananthapuram district, to which most of the cyclone-hit fishermen belonged, observed a 'prayer-day' and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the affected coastal belt to take stock of the situation.
Kerala CM Meets Home and Defence Ministers, Seeks Rs 1,843 Crore Central Aid
The Kerala government, on Saturday, 9 December, sought a central assistance of Rs 1,843 crore in the wake of cyclone Ockhi devastating the state's coastal stretches, leaving 37 dead and several others missing.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi, and apprised them of the situation in the state post-Ockhi.
Talking to reporters in Delhi after meeting the two ministers, Vijayan said the state had sought central assistance of Rs 1,843 crore and Rs 300 crore assistance needed to be provided immediately.
Singh assured him that a central delegation will visit Kerala soon to take stock of the situation, Vijayan said adding both the union ministers had responded positively.
The search for missing fishermen will be extended beyond 500 nautical miles and help has been sought from countries like Oman which share ocean boundaries with India, he said.
There are 13,436 fishermen, who have no land or houses. About 4,148 fishermen have land, but no houses, he said.
They should be brought under the Prime Minister's rural housing scheme in 2018-19 fiscal and necessary assistance should be provided, said Vijayan.
Kerala Governor to Contribute One Month's Salary to Special Fund for Ockhi Victims
Kerala Governor P Sathasivam will contribute a month's salary to the special fund being raised for the victims of cyclone Ockhi.
All employees of Raj Bhavan would also contribute one day's salary towards the special fund, a Raj Bhavan press release said, on Saturday, 9 December.
Kerala Government asks Navy, Coast Guard, IAF to Continue Search for Fishermen
The Kerala government, on 9 December, requested the Navy, Coast Guard (CG) and Indian Air Force (IAF) to continue the search operations for the missing fishermen in the aftermath of Cyclone Okchi, for another 10 days.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is in Delhi, will be meeting Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and discuss the matter with her on Saturday evening.
He will also be meeting Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with regard to the state's plea for a special central package to rehabilitate families affected by Ockhi cyclone.