Despite past boating accidents and inquiry panel reports, Kerala govt did nothing to prevent such tragedies: Congress & BJP

Malappuram: Despite several fatal boat accidents in Kerala over the last 100 years and three Commission of Inquiry reports recommending preventive measures, lack of government intervention resulted in the boating tragedy here that claimed 22 lives, the opposition Congress and BJP contended on Monday.

According to survivors and those who avoided boarding the fateful boat, the tour boat operator's "last trip" gimmick which led to the vessel being packed beyond its capacity and not heeding to bystanders warnings of the boat tilting to one side before it took off, all contributed to the disaster.

The statements of the survivors, bystanders and local residents of the area reveal that the vessel was a fishing boat which was converted into a recreational vessel, it did not have a licence to offer boating services, it lacked sufficient safety equipment like life jackets, the same were not provided to passengers and it was filled beyond capacity, checking all the boxes of "don'ts" that the panels had outlined.

Poorly designed vessels, their shoddy maintenance, absence of navigational aids, overloading and negligent conduct of the crew were some of the reasons cited by the inquiry commissions, set up in 2002, 2007 and 2009 after various boating tragedies, for such accidents in the past several decades.

In 2002, after the Kumarakom boat tragedy that claimed 29 lives, the Justice K Narayana Kurup Commission of Inquiry (CoI) had found that poor condition of the boat, poor maintenance, overloading and negligent conduct of the crew were responsible for the accident.

In 2007, after the Thattekkad boat accident which claimed lives of 14 students and three teachers -- who were part of a school picnic trip -- the Justice M M Pareed Pillay CoI had found that overloading and untimely hours of the ride were the reasons for the tragedy.

In 2009, the E Mytheenkunju CoI found that overloading, inexperienced crew and lack of stability of the boat were the causes for the Thekkady boating accident that claimed lives of 45 tourists when a double decker boat of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) capsized in Thekkady lake.

A 2013 National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) report also points out that the state government has not heeded any of the recommendations of these committees.

The NHRC report titled 'Boat Accidents in Inland Waters of Kerala' came in the wake of a boating accident on January 26, 2013 which according to it "could have been avoided if the recommendations of the CoIs had been followed".

The CoI recommendations included evenly distributing passengers inside the boat, not overcrowding, use of properly designed boats, wearing of safety jackets, providing safety instructions to passengers and establishing rescue coordination centres in important tourism spots.

Violation of all these recommendations contributed to the Tanur boat accident on Sunday evening, according to the locals of the area, survivors of the tragedy and the opposition Congress and BJP.

The Kerala government on Monday announced a judicial probe into the matter and decided to give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and senior Congress leader V D Satheesan, who visited the accident site and the homes of those who died in the tragedy, termed it as a "man-made disaster".

He alleged that despite the Thekkady and Thattekkad boating tragedies, there were no mechanisms in place to prevent recurrence of such incidents and though the locals complained that the boat service was illegal and unlicensed, the authorities did nothing to check it.

Satheesan, in a statement, claimed that the situation in the state was one where everyone thinks they can do anything and get away with it.

He urged the government to check licences, ensure compliance of rules and safeguards and investigate why authorities turned a blind eye to the allegedly illegal service.

The Congress leader also asked the government to set a time frame within which the judicial inquiry, announced by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, would be completed without giving any extension to the term of the commission.

BJP state president K Surendran too spoke along similar lines and also demanded the resignation of Kerala Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas, according to a statement issued by his party.

Surendran alleged that the tragedy occurred due to the negligence of the state government and its lack of intervention despite several instances of violation of boat service rules in Kerala.

The BJP leader said if Riyas has any "shame", he should resign from the post of Tourism Minister as his department should be aware of how such a boat was operating in a place also frequented by tourists.

The party state chief said the Tourism department spends crores on advertising Kerala Tourism but could not put in place a common system for vessels offering boating services.

He alleged that recurrence of such a tragedy was due to the state government not paying heed to the reports regarding the Thekkady and Thattekad boating accidents.

Even according to the police, the vessel reportedly was converted from a fishing boat to a recreational one, lacked a licence to operate, was filled beyond capacity and no life jackets were provided to the passengers.

While 22 people died in the tragedy, eight others were rescued and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, district officials said.

The boat, which was carrying 37 people, capsized near an estuary close to the Thoovaltheeram beach in Tanur area around 7.30 pm on Sunday.