Congress and Left members, especially from Kerala which bore the brunt, sought a probe into the alleged mismanagement, lack of coordination and other aspects of the disaster while also narrating the ordeal of death and destruction they had witnessed when the cyclone had hit the state.
They also demanded that the devastation caused by Ockhi should be declared a national calamity.
The cyclone, which had hit coastal states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu on November 30, claimed several lives and caused widespread damage. A large number of fishermen are still missing.
He sought to know the steps taken by the Centre so far and wondered whether it was "insensitive" on the issue. "Why is there a delay sending a central team" to Kerala, he asked.
Also Read
Stressing the need for strong coordination to bringing them back, he said there have been lapses on part of the authorities with regard to dealing with Ockhi and its aftermath. "We cannot accuse anybody for natural calamities... but we could have taken precautions" and had early warnings, he said claiming that some officers have committed mistakes.
Highlighting the plight of fishermen, he called for a "well functioning monitoring system" and emphasised the need for having a "specific alarm system" saying the people were alerted late about the cyclone.
P R Sundaram (AIADMK) asked the Centre to declare Ockhi a natural disaster, a demand shared by several members in the House. He also sought a naval base in Kanyakumari to help people more effectively in future cases of natural calamities.
Nominated member Richard Hay claimed that the tragic aftermath of Ockhi could have been averted if the Kerala government had taken measured to warn fishermen in advance.
Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar intervened to defend Hay, saying there was a feeling that India Meteorological Department had provided adequate advance to the state but fishermen were not warned.
B Mahtab (BJD) said natural calamities were affecting his home state of Odisha frequently and asked the Centre to step up its assistance measures. He also demanded that pest attack on crops be declared a calamity.
Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena) said the government should focus on preventive measures and expressed concern over the impact of climate change.
Shashi Tharoor (Cong), who represents Thiruvananthapuram constituency which was the most affected by the cyclone, said there was no early warning signal available to the state government, even when the radars to provide advance warnings were located in Kerala (Thumba) itself.
He demanded immediate investigation into the lapses for gaps leading to loss of lives and properties.
Since this is a "horrendous human tragedy", Tharoor said the government should be sensitive in compensating states hit by this. Kerala Government has submitted Rs 7,348 crore compensation demand while Tamil Nadu about Rs 9,000 crore.
Asking government to immediately decide on compensation, Saugata Roy (TMC) said there should be no delay. Government should also provide data on the fisherman killed and missing due to the calamity, he demanded.
A P Jithender Reddy (TRS) raised the issue of vacancy of the top post in National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and said the post of the chairman has been lying vacant for 3 years and asked the government to fill it up urgently.
Md Faizal (NCP) also demanded shelters to be established for the affected people.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content