Kendrapara: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary regarding the failure of the state government in ensuring safety standards in boats.
Moved by the detailed accounts of boat accidents and the inaction of the government brought before the NHRC by rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, the Commission sought a reply from the Chief Secretary within four weeks.
In the first week of January, 10 people died in a boat accident in Kendrapara district. The boat capsized near the confluence of the Mahanadi and the Bay of Bengal.
Similarly, June 17, 2018 six persons drowned after a boat carrying 18 tourists capsized in the Chilika Lake.
At least 13 people died and 20 others went missing after a country boat from Sambalpur capsized due to overloading in the Hirakud Dam Reservoir February 9, 2014, Tripathy pointed out.
For residents living in the villages of Chandbali area in Bhadrak district, country boats are the only means of transport. Every day thousands of people in the region risk their lives to cross the Mantei and Baitarani rivers on boats due to the absence of bridges.
The people of riverside villages like Baliapal, Tinitar, Choudhary, Habeli, Panchutikri, Dhanakhania and Mantei say that even though the government has laid foundation stones for the construction of bridges on both the rivers, work has not begun.
Several interventions by the NHRC on this matter went in vain as the state was ‘smartly submitting twisted replies’, Tripathy alleged.
Nearly two lakh people of 36 panchayats, including the Chandbali NAC, have to depend on country boats to reach Dhamara. The absence of proper transport facilities is forcing people to undertake perilous journeys across the rivers daily. Nearly 250 country and motor boats sail operate from 76 anchorages in the district, Tripathy said.
As per rules all boatmen must have licence and boats fitness certificates. But overloading of boats is common. In the last eight years, there have been 18 boat accidents in Bhadrak district alone, according to District Emergency Office (DEO) reports.
The failure to enforce rules and regulations pose a serious threat to human rights, Tripathy alleged.
Citing his own case before the NHRC, in similar incidents in Assam, the Government of Assam followed the recommendation made by the one-man enquiry committee of Jitesh Khosla.
Ferries and mechanized boats are an important mode of transport in Odisha. False electoral promises, lack of bureaucratic will and taking NHRC directives lightly are the major reasons for the tragic loss of lives near water bodies in Odisha, Tripathy said.
The claim of the Odisha Government that it is enforcing all safety rules concerning boats is not factual, Tripathy alleged.
PNN