Cyclone Ockhi: Kerala Congress leader urges Narendra Modi to declare calamity a national disaster

Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare Cyclone Ockhi, which wrecked havoc in the state, Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep in the last two days, as a national disaster. [caption id=“attachment_4238987” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A man watches a road that has been cut off due to floods caused by the cyclone Ockhi, which caused heavy damage in Kanyakumari. PTI[/caption] In a letter to Modi, he requested that immediate central government assistance should be provided in these places to deal with the emergency situation. The Congress leader also urged the Kerala government to increase the financial aid for the injured at least up to Rs 50,000 from the present Rs 15,000. Lack of coordination had affected the government’s relief and rescue operations, launched post-Ockhi, he alleged while talking to reporters after visiting the cyclone-affected coastal hamlets here. Family members of fishermen who are yet to come back, were anxious as the government failed to provide them updated information about rescue measures, he alleged.