Khurda: The recent drowning of six visitors in Chilika near Balugaon has once again brought to limelight lack of safety measures for boat ride in the largest brackish water lake in Asia.
The tragedy has exposed the callousness and failure of the district administration to regulate boat journey in the lagoon.
Sources claimed that the visitors travelling on a boat from Kalijai to Balugaon Saturday did not have lifejackets. Moreover, the boat operator was ferrying tourists in the lake without life tube and other safety apparatuses. Besides, he also overlooked bad weather before setting out from Kalijai.
“There would not be any casualty, if the boat had enough safety measures,” said a source in the district administration.
Tourists usually begin their boat journey into the Chilika lagoon from Balugaon, Barakul, Mangalajodi and Kalupada ghats in the district. Although the district administration has undertaken a few measures at Balugaon and Barakul ghats, it has totally ignored the safety of tourists entering the lagoon from Mangalajodi and Kalupada ghats.
“Visitors were seen wearing lifejackets while launching their boat journeys into the lake from Balugaon and Barakul ghats Sunday. But, no tourist was seen with the safety gears at Mangalajodi and Kalupada ghats,” said a source.
Notably, four persons including two minors had drowned after a boat capsized in Chilika near Shabukia ghat in Ganjam December 10, 2016. Soon after the incident, district collector and superintendent of police had visited Barakul ghat and reviewed issues related to the safety of boat riders.
The two officials had directed the boat operators to register themselves with the administration and ensure safety measures for the tourists. The administration had subsequently provided lifejackets and life tubes to boat operators. “Hundreds of boat operators are ferrying tourists in Chilika without registering their boats with the administration. The boat operators having registration numbers never ask the tourists to wear lifejackets. Moreover, they have stored the safety gears provided by the administration at their homes,” said a source familiar with the issue.
Apart from the safety gear issue, overcrowding has remained as a permanent issue when it comes to private boat service in Chilika.
Locals as well as social activists, meanwhile, also blamed the state government for the Saturday’s boat mishap. “The state government and the Tourism department have been spending crores of rupees to attract tourists to Odisha, but they have turned a blind eye to the safety of visitors at Chilika, a major tourist destination in state. The government should deploy adequate boats to ferry tourists in the lake,” said a social activist.
Notably, the Tourism department has deployed a few boats at a Panthaniwas at Barakul to ferry tourists. But, the boat service remains unutilised most of the times. “The boats deployed by the state government are larger ones. Each of them can carry at least 30 tourists. So, people usually choose small private boats that can carry upto 10-15 people,” said a local.
Sub-collector Saroj Sahu said police inquiry will reveal details of the Saturday’s incident. “The administration will also launch a separate probe in this regard,” he added.