Assembly mourns cyclone victims

GANDHINAGAR, June 29: The State Assembly adjourned for the day on Monday after mourning the thousands who died when a cyclone struck the Kut...

GANDHINAGAR, June 29: The State Assembly adjourned for the day on Monday after mourning the thousands who died when a cyclone struck the Kutch-Saurashtra coast on June 9. The Speaker adjourned the House after it adopted a condolence resolution.

Speaking on the resolution, moved by Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, Leader of the Opposition Amarsinh Chaudhary of the Congress suggested that the government set up a special cell to monitor preparations for natural calamities so that loss of life can be minimised.

He also suggested that it would be helpful if the government set up a cyclone management plan on the lines of the one for floods, considering that Gujarat was the state with the biggest coastline.

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Endorsing Industries Minister Suresh Mehta’s recent statement that the toll may be higher than what the government has declared, Chaudhary said the government should reveal the exact figure so that compensation could reach relatives of the victims.

Senior Congress member Manubhai Parmar said, “Tears welled in my eyes when I read Suresh Mehta’s statement that the sea would continue to return bodies for years.” He said the government should rehabilitate survivors on a war footing.

Mehta, who represents the Mandvi Assembly constituency in the Kutch district, said the intensity of cyclone was so severe that it was impossible to give the exact toll.