I urge Tmt. @nsitharaman to direct the Coast Guard to help rescue the roughly 1000 fishermen stranded at sea,and to deploy disaster relief...

DMK working president M.K. Stalin issued an urgent humanitarian appeal to Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on December 2, 2017, requesting immediate mobilization of all available Indian Coast Guard and Navy resources. Stalin emphasized that approximately one thousand fishermen from southern Tamil Nadu remained stranded in deep seas following the sudden, catastrophic strike of Cyclone Ockhi. He urged the Ministry of Defence to initiate round-the-clock air and maritime search missions to rescue endangered crews adrift in open waters.

Stalin highlighted the acute panic gripping coastal hamlets across Kanyakumari and adjoining southern districts, where families had lost contact with their loved ones for days. He pointed out that standard coastal patrol craft were insufficient to navigate treacherous cyclonic seas, demanding deployment of heavy naval warships, specialized helicopters, and maritime surveillance aircraft. Swift coordination with neighboring coastal states was equally essential to track vessels carried northward by ferocious tidal currents.

The DMK leader urged the union government to treat the maritime emergency as a top national priority. He stressed that preserving precious human lives must transcend routine bureaucratic protocols during sudden natural disasters. Stalin affirmed that the DMK will persistently monitor rescue developments and support coastal communities in every conceivable manner.