Kollam, August 10
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Monday announced that the State government would formulate a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for search and rescue operations when fishermen go missing at sea, with fishing communities set to play a direct role in drawing up the protocol.
The Chief Minister made the announcement after visiting the family of Gautham Krishna, who went missing at sea off Neendakara. Minister Shibu Baby John accompanied Satheesan during the visit.
Satheesan said the proposed SOP would incorporate the experience and practical knowledge of fishermen, who are often the first to understand sea conditions and the challenges involved in locating missing boats and crew. The initiative is aimed at improving coordination between government agencies, rescue teams and fishing communities during maritime emergencies.
Referring to the ongoing efforts to locate fishermen reported missing in separate incidents, Satheesan said the government had taken all possible measures so far but acknowledged that more needed to be done. Search operations were being reviewed every two to three hours, and all available resources would be deployed to trace the missing fishermen, he said.
The Chief Minister also responded to criticism directed at him and the government by the daughter of John, a fisherman who went missing at sea off Vizhinjam.
Satheesan said he saw nothing wrong in the family expressing anger or frustration against the government, adding that such emotions were understandable when a loved one remained missing.
“When a person from a family goes missing, there will naturally be anger, anguish and protest,” he said, adding that the administration should understand those emotions rather than regard criticism as hostility.
Satheesan said that as Chief Minister, he represented the administration and therefore had a responsibility to face criticism from affected families. The government’s immediate priority, he added, was to strengthen the search for the missing fishermen while developing a more effective mechanism for handling similar emergencies in the future.
