On his return from a one-day tour of Kandla and Jamnagar on Sunday, Rana told reporters here in the evening with great emphasis that Kandla Port Trust (KPT) was responsible for the loss of lives in the cyclone. However, when confronted with queries about the role of the State government, Rana was extremely unwilling to criticise either the government or its administrative machinery. He visited the areas under instructions from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who has put off his Monday's visit to the area.

Rana said port officials did not pay much attention to cyclone warnings and he would bring this to the notice of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and the minister concerned. He said the Centre should take action against the KPT officials for dereliction of duty. However, he was immediately on the defensive when asked why action should not be taken against the State government and the bureaucracy on similar grounds. "You see, when natural calamity of such a magnitude strikes, there remains something left to be done here and there," he said while seeking to justify the government apathy.

The minister said that if the information was right then severe action should be taken against Vipul Mitra for refusing to attend meetings convened by Kutch collector Mukesh Puri on the ground of the latter being a junior officer. He said Mitra did not turn up at his (Rana's) own meeting on Sunday.

Rana who was made to shift sides for absolving the State government of negligence as he blamed the KPT agreed the aid from the Centre was meager and that it would have to be worked out in proportion to the severity of the damage caused by the calamity. He said Kandla could not be restored normally before four months even if work was taken up at war footing.

State BJP president Rajendrasinh Rana, also present, ruled out political groupism in Industry Minister Suresh Mehta not getting co-operation from Cabinet colleagues. He also pooh-poohed reported cold war between two other ministers Mahendra Trivedi and Haren Pandya on the cyclone related information.

The delegation which went with Rana included Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister A K Patel, State BJP president Rajendrasinh Rana, former minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma and former MLA Govindbhai Chauhan.