Brahmagiri: Months after a Malaysian tugboat Jin Hwa 32 got stuck at Chilka along with the container it was pulling, the stranded container continues to pose a threat to the lake.
Even though the tugboat was rescued by a Malaysian team back in September after the boat got stuck August 8, the container it was pulling lies stranded at Rajhans beach here. With all the 14 labourers from Maharashtra engaged in breaking the container having stopped their work amid lockdown, the threat to the lake remains.
The labourers had to leave the job midway through as the contractor they were working under has gone incommunicado. Amid lockdown, Krushnaprasad block administration has been providing them with cooked food.
This large container is said to be constantly causing the sea to change its direction. As a result, the diverted seawater has changed its course and has been flowing into the Chilika lake.
The block administration, meanwhile, expressed its helplessness in expediting the shipbreaking work.
PNN