Kendrapara: With the state government’s 2004 boat rules being flouted with impunity and passengers being ferried to various destinations in boats with no safety gears in place, yet another major boat mishap is only a matter of time in Kendrapara district.
The past mishaps are still fresh in people’s mind. A boat capsized in Mahanadi river June 19 near Pitapat village under Mahakalpara block but the five labourers who were travelling in the boat cheated deaths as they managed to swim ashore.
In another boat mishap that took place at the same place March 1, 2013, 13 young cricketers of Jagatsinghpur district met watery graves as the boat drowned.
As many as ten women and children were killed after their boat drowned at Nipania 2019 January 2.
If those above mentioned past mishaps are considered, the casualties could have been avoided had the boats had safety gears like life jackets and ring buoys.
As many as 17 panchayats like Padanipal, Ekmania, Singhagaon etc are encircled by rivers in this district. And theses panchayats are yet to be connected by bridges. Even today, people of these panchayats are commuting by boats putting their lives in harm’s way.
Visitors going to tourist spots near Bhitarkanika National Park like Hukitola, Habalikhati, Batighar and Barunei also commute in boats putting their lives at risk.
According to social activist Abhitabh Chand, all the boats engaged in ferrying passengers should have been insured as per the 2004 boat rules. But this is not the case here.
Let alone insurance, most boats are operating without even fitness. “God forbid no mishap should take place. But if it happens and some people drown, they will not get any compensation. More than 60 boats are operating in Bhitarkanika National Park (BNP) area,” informed Chand.
Echoing the same, Narendra Sahu, a resident of Gupti area under Rajnagar block said there are more than 1,700 saltwater crocodiles inside the BNP. In this area, boats basically from Gupti, Chandbali, Khola, Jaynagar, Bahakuda and Jambu areas are operating.
The possibility of another boat mishap cannot be ruled out as in most boats, the boatmen are minors and inexperienced. Besides, they take in more passengers than their capacities.
Expressing his concern, a resident of Mahakalpara area Bibhuti Rout said people are forced to use boats as means of communication in absence of bridges. For people of Bahakud and Kharinasi areas, bridges have become a dream.
Hundreds of families are residing on the banks of Mahanadi, Brahmani and Baitarani rivers are travelling in country boats. But the district administration has forgotten to conduct checks, Rout said.
DFO Bimal Prasanna Acharya, meanwhile, said that direction has been issued for the insurance of both boatmen and boats.
Additional district magistrate Basant Kumar Rout said that the boatmen have been made aware of the rules and regulations. If any boat is found not following the rules, the district administration will take action against them.
PNN