YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced financial assistance of Rs 7 lakh each from the party to the families of those who died in the recent boat tragedy off the Visakhapatnam coast and said compensation would be increased to Rs 1 crore if the party returns to power.
During his visit to Chabartota, Jagan met the bereaved families of the deceased fishermen and interacted with Chinna, the boat owner and driver who survived the incident, according to Vasupalli Janakiram, President of the East Coast Mechanised Fishing Boat Owners Association of India.
Speaking to ANI, Janakiram said Jagan spent nearly an hour with the families and the survivor to understand what exactly transpired.
According to Janakiram, Chinna recounted how the fishermen survived in the sea through the night, the challenges they faced and how they were eventually rescued by a passing Chinese vessel.
Janakiram said Chinna also pointed to alleged shortcomings in the local rescue operations, stating that they had expected timely assistance from the Indian Coast Guard, the Navy or rescue helicopters. According to Janakiram, Chinna alleged that if authorities had acted during the “golden period”, the lives of the six deceased fishermen could have been saved.
Earlier on Tuesday, YSRCP President and former Chief Minister Tuesday hit out at the Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government, calling this tragedy an “inhumane incident” caused by administrative negligence.
He further highlighted the proximity of the incident to major naval and administrative hubs, questioning why the rescue machinery failed to move.
“The incident took place just 10 miles away from Visakhapatnam, from Gangavaram port. In Vizag, we have the Coast Guard, Navy, Collector, the Commissioner–the entire government is here. Yet, in fact, Vizag is also the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command. Despite that, the government did not respond on time; this delayed response took the lives of six families of fishermen,” he said.
Reddy also criticised the ruling coalition for a lack of empathy, noting that no government representative had reached out to the grieving families.
The fishermen had ventured into the sea from Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour on July 1 at around 3 am aboard a mechanised fishing boat. Of the seven missing fishermen, six are from Mukkam village in Bhogapuram Mandal of Vizianagaram district, while one is from Peda Nagamayya Palem in Bheemili Mandal of Visakhapatnam district.