CM Suvendu Adhikari meets victims of Sundarbans Trawler capsize, calls for stepping up disaster management preparedness

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday, July 26, 2026, met the victims of the Sundarbans trawler capsizing tragedy earlier this month and announced several steps for better disaster management preparedness in coastal areas.

At least 11 fishermen were found dead and four fishermen are still missing after a trawler coming from Purba Medinipur capsized on July 8, 2026. The ship lost communication shortly after setting off and remained lost until tracked by the Coast Guard on July 14, 2026. The fishermen on the trawler were from Digha, Nadia, Howrah and East Medinipur in West Bengal and Odisha, officials said.

Soon after the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia gift of ₹2 lakh for each of the family members from the National Provident Fund. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, CM Adhikari also announced an ex-gratia of ₹ 5 lakh and civic volunteer work for an eligible member of the family.

On Sunday, July 26, 2026, Mr. Adhikari met with the families of the victims. “Many similar incidents have happened before, but the government did not care about them at all. Our government did. We think this is our responsibility,” he said.

Considering the poor condition of coastal police stations, the CM declared that competent police officers would be appointed immediately in these stations. They will also be supported by advanced technology.

“I have also asked the disaster management department to constitute a 50-member Rapid Response Team for Digha and surrounding coastal areas so that they can respond to any difficult situation immediately and in the shortest possible time,” he said.