Kendrapara: Despite multiple mishaps, boats continue to ply people in various rivers including Hansua in Kendrapara district without adhering to safety rules, a report said.
Reports said, eco retreat organized by the tourism department has started at Nalitapatia near Bhitarakanika National Park. The festival will go on till February 28. During this time, tourists will visit Bhitarakanika, Hukitola, Habelikhati and Batighar. They will depend on country boats. It is often seen that boats are overcrowded. Despite the risk factor, the rules made in 2004 are not being followed. Mishaps continue to happen in rivers.
Notably, a ban had been imposed on passenger boats in Chilika lake after the mishap that claimed six lives some years back.
Unsafe country boats without having adequate safety measures continue to ferry hundreds of tourists and locals across water bodies to go to Bhitarakanika National Park, Hukitola island, Habalikothi, lighthouse island, Barunei river mouth, Rangali, Talachua and other places in the district.
According to reports, there are 249 panchayats in the district, but 17 of them do have bridges across rives, making people depend on country boats.
Sushil Kumar Rout of Mahakalpara said three months ago a country boat had overturned at Pitapata while five labourers were feared drowned. At this very place, 13 promising cricketers had met a watery grave while being ferried in a boat March 1, 2013.
Ten women and children had lost their lives in January, 2019 when the boat they were being ferried had drowned at Nipania. Such mishaps have been happening at regular intervals.
Pratap Kumar Tripathy of Mahakalpara Youth Club said 17 panchayats including Padanipal, Ekamania, Sinhagan and Batighar have no bridges and people are bound to depend on country boats. Many boats do not have insurance and boatmen have no licences either. In cases of mishaps, passengers have no chances of getting compensations, he added.
Surendra Sahu of Rajnagar area said,”Over 40 unsafe boats operate during the peak tourist season in Bhitarakanika, Hukitolla and other picturesque islands without fitness certificates. The forest department is not paying heed to this aspect,”
He added that tourists usually risk their lives while crossing the water bodies replete with salt-water crocodiles. There is a need for precaution for tourists during tourists.
Boat owners are supposed to make provisions of life jackets for passengers and tourists. The forest department has made it mandatory for all private boat owners to get fitness certificates from the Inland Water Transport Department at Chandabali to carry visitors to Bhitarkanika
The river ghats at Gupti, Chandabali, Khola and Jayanagar are the busiest ghats to ferry tourists to Bhitarakanika. Similarly, the boats from the ghats at Jamboo, Bahakuda and Kharinashi carry tourists to Hukitola and Batighar.
Locals said, some private boats are not designed to carry passengers to places in the Bay of Bengal. Many boats are operated by untrained youngsters in risky weather conditions.“After a tragedy in 2004, no step has been taken for safety of passengers,” a local fumed.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Bikash Ranjan Das said, “All boat owners operating in Bhitarakanika have been directed to make insurance coverage of their boats.”
ADM Basant Kumar Rout said boatmen are being made aware of the passenger safety while the administration will take strong action against boats if they are found violating safety rules.
PNN