SAFETY AT STAKE
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Hundreds of fishing boats have been carrying tourists to locations like Kalijai in the Chilika Lake from some ghats in the district for years
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Around 200 fishing boats have been operating at the Barakul Ghat and Kalijai without any safety measures
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As per the guidelines, operators of tourist boats have to register themselves with the administration and provide life jackets, lifebuoys and other safety gadgets to passengers
Khurda: Although the state government and the district administration had directed the owners of tourist boats operating in Chilika Lake to ensure that safety measures are in place for passengers, no action has been initiated so far. Fishing boats are engaged in illegally ferrying visitors to various locations in the lagoon now.
Hundreds of fishing boats have been carrying tourists to locations like Kalijai in the Chilika Lake from some ghats in the district for years. Around 200 fishing boats have been operating at the Barakul Ghat and Kalijai without any safety measures, sources said.
The district administration had laid down guidelines for tourist boats after the recent boat mishap in Chilika which claimed six lives. As per the guidelines, operators of tourist boats have to register themselves with the administration and provide life jackets, lifebuoys and other safety gadgets to passengers.
Besides this, all the boats engaged in ferrying tourists in the Chilika must have trained drivers and fire extinguishers. Boat owners also have been directed to provide insurance cover to passengers. The administration has also decided to inspect the fitness of tourist boats operating in the lake regularly.
But the district administration has not done anything to prevent fishing boats from ferrying tourists in the lake.
“The owners of fishing boats have temporarily suspended operations after the recent mishap. They will start ferrying tourists to Kalijai and other locations in the lake once the dust settles,” said a source familiar with the issue.
Many tourists have urged the district administration to decide whether fishing boats can ferry people in the lake or not.
“The administration should take a call on the issue at the earliest. Otherwise the safety of passengers will be at stake,” said Sudam Pradhan, a tourist from Nayagarh.