Shibu Baby John Admits Lapses in Rescue Operation to Find Missing Fishermen

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister Shibu Baby John has admitted that there were lapses in the rescue operation following the fishing accident at Vizhinjam. He said the shortcomings in the response were unfortunate and that the government has a responsibility to listen to the criticism raised by the daughter of missing fisherman John.

The minister said strict action would be taken against officials found responsible for the lapses. He also acknowledged that some officials behaved insensitively and poorly towards people during the emergency.

According to Shibu Baby John, similar complaints about the conduct of officials have emerged from Muthalapozhi and Neendakara as well as Vizhinjam. He said such behaviour was unacceptable.

The minister said the government had no intention of shielding anyone and acknowledged that failures had occurred during the rescue operation. He said the authorities would identify those responsible and take strong measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The coastal accidents and shortcomings in the rescue operations are expected to be discussed in detail at the online Cabinet meeting scheduled for today. The minister said urgent decisions would be taken based on the discussion.

However, criticism remains over the government's response to the issue. Questions have been raised over whether the minister is attempting to place responsibility solely on officials for failures that occurred at the administrative level.

Although the minister acknowledged that some officials had behaved improperly, no action has reportedly been taken against them even after a week, raising further questions about the government's handling of the matter.