It has been reported that the Govt. of Gujarat was initially reluctant and denied permission to Tamil fishermen to enter its territory after they lost their way when ‘Cyclone Ockhi’ struck the coast of Kanniyakumari and other coastal Districts and also the Trivandrum coast.

Thousands of fishermen engaged in deep-sea fishing were caught unawares as ‘Cyclone Ockhi’ hit the coast hard last Friday, uprooting trees, bringing heavy rains and causing widespread damage to properties and human lives. Fishermen, who were swept by strong tides and gigantic waves, managed to reach the nearby shores in Kerala and Karnataka.

Some fishermen, however, were forced to travel as far upto Maharashtra and Gujarat. While the Governments of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra were sympathetic to the fishermen who had lost their way in view of the cyclone and provided them food and shelter (albeit temporarily) before sending them back home safely, it now turns out that the Govt. of Gujarat didn’t do so initially.

600 Tamil fishermen reportedly sought the permission of the Govt. of Gujarat to enter its territory as they lost their way because of the cyclone. As Gujarat votes this Saturday and next Thursday (09th and 14th December) to elect a new Legislative Assembly, the local Govt. didn’t want any intrusions but later it allowed fishermen and provided them with food and shelter before sending them back home.