Cyclone Ockhi: 29 Kerala fishermen dead and 130 still missing. An indifferent bureaucracy bears the blame.
A wave of sorrow seizes the huddle of fisherwomen under a red pavilion in the St Thomas churchyard in Poonthura, a fishing village in Thiruvananthapuram. Their lamentations swell as, rosaries in hand, they grieve in solidarity with those who have lost their loved ones to Cyclone Ockhi which grazed Kerala on November 30. Of the 130 fishermen still missing, 69 are from the three fishing villages of Poonthura, Vizhinjam and Adimalathura—and they have already buried seven. Their grief is compounded by the fact that the Kerala state government failed to issue a warning on the afternoon of November 29, the day it was notified by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) that a deep depression was strengthening and moving towards the coast. Even as fax messages and emails were received by the lethargic, sterile government offices, 304 traditional fishermen from Thiruvananthapuram (according to Latin Catholic church figures), and scores of others along Kerala’s coast had set out that very evening in their small country craft made of plywood, to fish through the night. (Those in bigger boats had better chances of survival). Unbeknownst to them, a furious cyclone was churning everything in its path off the coast of Kanyakumari. Their plans to return by next morning were tossed up as hundreds of small boats splintered into matchwood. Even a week later, nearly 130 are still missing, 29 dead and over 100 hospitalised. As if the communication lapse was not bad enough, the government machinery dragged its feet on rescue operations, losing time and lives.
この記事は Outlook の December 18, 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Outlook の December 18, 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
My Secular Mentor
A rare psychologist of Indian culture, Sudhir Kakar leaves behind seminal works that will have relevance for many generations
Battle of the Bahubalis
Gangsters in Bihar no longer enjoy the kind of dominance that they did in the 90s, but that has not kept them away from politics
Memories of Riots
Have frequent communal tensions changed the social fabric of Bihar?
Didi's Achilles Heel
Mamata Banerjee stays the course but her party, plagued by corruption charges, spins out of control
Memory Metamorphosis
What happened on March 14, 2007 in Nandigram? People still ask this question as they take part in the dance of democracy
Minority Report
He has not lost the Dhubri seat in Assam since 2009. Now he is fighting for political survival as Bengali Muslims look to favour the Congress
THE POWER OF PURPOSE
Doing good is good business as it transcends bottom lines and impacts lives positively, yielding profits that go beyond numbers.
CURRENT FARMING METHODS ARE EXACERBATING CLIMATE CHANGE
Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) project is supporting transition of 850,000 farmers covering 377,801 hectares of land and operating in 3730 villages. \"Natural farming is in harmony with nature. It is a holistic land management practice that leverages the power of photosynthesis in plants\", says Mr. T Vijay Kumar, a retired IAS officer, who is the Executive Vice Chairman of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a non-profit organization set up by the Andhra Pradesh government in 2014. Since 2016, this platform has been utilized to integrate and promote APCNF activities, aimed at fostering the overall development and empowerment of farmers. Excerpts from an interview with Mr T Vijay Kumar:
IN PURSUIT OF SUSTAINABILITY
Harshavardhana Gourineni, Executive Director, Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Ltd, in an interview shares how through its products and operations the company is helping reduce carbon footprints and meet SDGs. Excerpts:
COOLING NO MORE A LUXURY, BUT A NECESSITY
With the rise in demand of air conditioners due to heat stress, sustainable air conditioning is the way forward to bring relief to people as well as manage emissions