Cyclone Ockhi not a national calamity, but aid reaching people, says Centre

NEW DELHI: Cyclone Ockhi, which wrecked havoc in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep, cannot be declared a national calamity, but all necessary assistance is being provided to tackle the situation, the Centre said on Sunday.

On Saturday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had requested the centre to declare Ockhi a national calamity in view of the hardships faced by the people.

At least 12 people have been killed in various incidents since the cyclone struck the southern seaboard on November 30.

The Met office has forecast fresh spell of rainfall in Tamil Nadu even as efforts to move the affected people to safer areas have continued on Sunday.

According to its latest bulletin, the cyclone has moved north-northwestwards and lay centered over southeast and east-central Arabian Sea, about 390km west-northwest of Amini Divi island of Lakshadweep.

On Sunday, 28 more boats, carrying 321 fishermen, which were caught in rough seas due to cyclone have safely reached Maharashtra's Ratnagiri coast.

This was announced by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who had on Saturday ordered the authorities to provide emergency help to nearly a 100 stranded fishermen which had arrived in the state's Sindhudurg district.

In Kerala, 17 fishermen were on Sunday rescued after spending five days in the sea off the Kerala coast, which was battered by strong winds and heavy rainfall under the influence of Cyclone Ockhi.

"An update on the search and rescue efforts being done by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force to save the lives of fishermen affected by Cyclone Ockhi,” Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, adding a total of 357 fishermen have been saved as of 10 am today."

Sitharaman was expected to visit the cyclone-hit Kanyakumari later on Sunday from Thiruvananthapuram and is scheduled to stay there till Monday.

Since November 30, the Coast Guard and the Navy have deployed over a dozen ships and aircraft for the rescue missions in the cyclone-hit areas.