Shocking boat tragedy

It is not too late to forget the shocking boat accident in Feb 2007 which took place near Thattekadu at Bhootathankettu reservoir, killing about 22 persons, most of them school children. The people of the state then had left with no words to console the heartbroken parents. Reports of that accident specifed that the boat was overcrowded and was well past sight-seeing hours.

Though the government of Kerala brought in strict time schedule for sight seeing it was ignored at Thekkadi. The time of accident was the same as that of Thattekadu tragedy and it marred effective rescue operations. The divers of the Indian Navy had to suspend the search operations because of darkness. In Thekkadi rules were not respected and rulers did not ensure that they were properly enforced and that was the reason for the death of 42 people. The KTDC chairman Cheriyan Philip owning up the moral responsibility for the tragedy is a gimmick of imitation. If modern fibre boats, which were light, were not fit for service on water bodies like Thekkady Lake, then who permitted fibre-boat service in Thekkadi lake?

To avoid recurrence of such tragedies in future boating in all reservoirs in the state should be banned. The Government should enquire the reason for not implementing commission recommendations relating accidents at Thattekkadu and Kumarkom?

K A Solaman