Protesters alleging lethargy and indifference on the part of the Kerala government in continuing with operations to rescue fishermen stranded in the sea following cyclone Ockhi vented their anger on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday.
The security personnel who accompanied CM Vijayan during his visit to cyclone hit areas had a tough time controlling the crowd that surrounded him, questioning him for not visiting the areas before, reports Deccan Chronicle.
The CM was accompanied by his minister colleagues, E Chandrashekaran and Kadakampally Surendran when he arrived at Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, Vizhunjam at 6:30 pm.
The minister was also accompanied by the district collector K Vasuki and additional director-general of police Manoj Abraham.
According to media reports, a group of people protested as the CM returned to his car after speaking to the people in the church. They shouted at him asking why he did not visit them immediately after the tragedy hit and even banged his car.
While addressing people in the church, the CM said that the government has done everything that they can for the rescue and relief operations.
“The government is with the victims of the tragedy and will do the needful,” he said. The Chief Minister who was scheduled to meet the victims at Poonthura later but called off his visit.
Meanwhile, fishermen and personnel of the Coast Guard and the Indian Navy recovered 11 more unidentified bodies, taking the toll to 19. Government sources said the state suffered a loss of about Rs 17.2 crore due the cyclone which brought down 74 houses and partly damaged 1,122 houses. The government has opened 37 relief camps across the state for the affected.