Mahakalapara: The implementation of the amended Odisha Boat Rules, 2004 has become all the more important after 10 people drowned in Mahanadi while returning from a picnic at Hukitola Island in Kendrapara district.
The boat tragedy has woken up the district administration and the forest department from their slumber as they launched crackdowns on unsafe ferrying of passengers in boats to Hukitola.
Many picnickers are thronging the island to spend some quality moments in the serenity and the beautiful natural site. The administration has formed squads which are verifying the boats ferrying people and picnickers to the island.
Apprehending crackdown due to non-compliance of norms, many boat operators have stopped ferrying passengers to the island.
Residents have alleged that the death of the 10 people hardly had any impact on the unscrupulous boat owners and boatmen as they continue to violate norms and ferry passengers in overloaded boats to Hukitola and other places in the district.
They apprehended that the administration is not all that sincere in implementing these rules for which boat mishaps are taking place at frequent intervals. The locals alleged that the enthusiasm the administration is showing in cracking down on violators might slow down after a period.
They alleged that this has happened due to negligence in implementation of the amended Odisha Boat Rules, 2004. According to the norms, boat owners need to register the boats before plying and obtain certificates on passenger carrying capacity from the competent authority.
The boatman should have proper license with the boat having the provisions of life insurance, lifejackets and first-aid box and an information plaque.
The rule desires that special squads should inspect the boats at regular intervals and conduct raids if they find discrepancies. Residents claimed that if the boats rules are implemented properly then it will streamline the boat service and greatly reduce the chances of mishaps in Mahanadi, Luna, Gobari and their distributaries.
The district, crisscrossed by several rivers, has and boat services available from Bahakud ghat, Kansapal, Jambu, Teragaon, Ekalpur, Karanj, Gobindpur, Kharinasi, Tubi, Batighar, Khola and Paradip ghats.
The residents expect that similar crackdowns on these ghats which will help in streamlining the boat services in this district. They opined that ferrying of people beyond the capacity should be stopped and action should be taken against the violators.
When contacted, a senior forest official said boat services in various water routes are being verified to make travel safer for passengers.
Collector Dasarathi Satapathy said soon action will be taken by the administration to stop these illegalities.
PNN