After a fishing boat carrying tourists capsized in the Chilika claiming four lives on Sunday, the spotlight has turned on how such an illegal practice thrives in the country’s largest brackish water lagoon. Hundreds of fishing boats illegally ply from various lakeside villages to ferry visitors to exotic locations inside the lagoon. Such boats operate from jetties like Sabulia, Rambha, Barkul, Balugaon and Satapada. “Tourists prefer to use these boats as they charge less even if that means compromising on safety and security,” said a tourist boat operator preferring anonymity. “Since they don’t operate from the regular jetties meant for tourists, we don’t have a say. Besides, since they are locals, we don’t want to create an atmosphere of hostility with them,” he said. The particular group of 29 people, who faced the accident on Saturday, had bargained for a lump sum amount for the two-way journey for the entire group, said Bideshi Mallick, one of the drivers. “Apart from bargaining the price, many people prefer fishing boats because the smaller boats give them privacy as the entire boat is hired for a group unlike the tourist boats. Moreover, tourist boats have fixed timings while the fishing boats give flexibility,” said Piyush Pradhna, a tourist who boarded a different fishing boat in the Chilika on Saturday. In terms of safety features, tourists don’t have faith on the tourist boats. “Most of the tourist boats also do not have life jackets and other safety tools. Many boat drivers are not properly trained leading to collisions between boats in the lake. There is no difference between the tourist boats and the fishing boats,” said another tourist. Around 1,200 tourist boats were operating in the lake from different areas of Chilika in Ganjam district. Government authorities plead helplessness for the precarious situation. “It is beyond our jurisdiction to inquire about the fishing boats which carry the passengers,” said P K Das, assistant director, Inland water transport (IWT), Balugaon. The fisheries department issues licence to fishing boats. “We will now launch an inquiry about the safety measures of different tourists boats operating in the Chilika,” said Das. The government had ordered a crackdown on the boats to operate in the lake without safety measures after the boat tragedy in Hirakud in February 2014 that claimed 24 people. Operation of boats or launches without valid licence and ferrying people without life jackets had been declared illegal by the government.”The motorized boat is meant for fishing and not to carry tourists or passengers. We will soon launch a crackdown on fishing boats carrying passengers,” said collector (Ganjam) Prem Chandra Chaudhary. “We will inquire into the issue and take action against the guilty,” he added.
2016 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.