Unsafe boat rides common in Pulicat lake

Nellore: No safety gear is being used by many country boats in waterways and rivers in the state and similar situation was prevailed in the district in the southern parts where islands located. Students and people travel daily without any safety for their lives.

Passengers those heading out on the water to be prepared for any emergency response on board a vessel and this has completely been ignored by the official mechanism who normally wake up at the time of an unforeseen incident happens.

Hundreds of kids, daily wagers, petty traders, and others from islands of Pulicat in Tada mandal, who go to schools and markets in plain mandals were facing problems and any mishap can occur if the unsafe system continues.

Interestingly, tourism or fisheries departments have not provided any permission to some vessels that were being operated by local fishermen for their livelihood on auction basis at village-level who don’t know about safety gear absolutely.

“Thirty seconds before the disaster is the key time for safeguarding the passengers which tests readiness for an emergency response. This comes only with proper training and material available in the vessel. But, majority boats or catamarans are not having them due to ignorance or negligence. Officials are also not insisting for them,” said K Ganesan, a boat operator for fishing from Tada.

Around 3,000 people reside in Irukkam island in the middle of Pulicat Lake who basically rely on transport through boats. There is no road connectivity and the people have been asking for it for many decades.

The 18,440-hectare Pulicat lake, which runs parallel to Bay of Bengal across Tamil Nadu-AP border, is the second largest brackish water lagoon in the country. The lake is fed by river Kalangi and river Arani and the lagoon is separated from Bay of Bengal by a barrier island Sriharikota.

People must travel by ferries without any safety gear like life jackets. Even tourists also travel in such dangerous conditions without any protection from drowning incidents even though it is being considered for development as an important tourism destination in the district.

A boat capsizing incident occurred in 2011 in Tamil Nadu claimed more than 20 lives in the lake. Only 2 boats were serving needs of around 3,000 population now.

People have to depend on these unsafe ferries for their emergency medical needs by paying Rs 1,000-1,500. Even employees work in the Island are also not vising the place daily fearing lack of proper transportation.

The state government neither provided a boat clinic for the needs of poor fishing communities. The Zilla Parishad which promised for such a facility earlier also failed to keep its word till now.

“Officials have to insist for having minimum safety gear in the country boats while permitting them for ferrying. There should be political will to take necessary steps in that direction,” said a senior official from the tourism department.

By PV Prasad