Safety consigned to watery grave

Last week, as many as 22 people drowned when a double-decker tourist boat capsized in the Poorapuzha estuary in Malappuram district, Kerala. There were about 50 people on the boat which had a capacity of 25. The overcrowding caused the boat to list (tilt to one side) before it capsized. Several passengers were caught under the vessel and the darkness had made the rescue daunting. The operators of the boat, which did not even have a safety certificate, had violated multiple rules and conducted a service late in the evening due to the rush of tourists. Apart from functioning without a fitness certificate, mandatory for tourist boats, the vessel was initially a fishing boat converted into a tourist taxi by the owner. As the boat had only two exits and glass windows, many passengers could not escape to safety. The government of Kerala has now called for a judicial inquiry, aided by experts.

The incident is a grim reminder of how safety norms are flouted when it comes to the upkeep of such means of transport employed in recreational spots. In 2009, a KTDC-operated boat had capsized in Thekkady, Kerala, which witnessed 45 fatalities. Most tourists hailed from Delhi and Kolkata, and as many as 87 people were aboard the vessel that had a capacity of 75. Investigations revealed that the accident took place when a great number of passengers rushed to one side of the boat for a glimpse of a herd of bison that had emerged from the forest. The sudden motion had caused the boat to capsize.

The blame was placed at the doors of the Kerala government, which had failed to privatise such boats. The administration came in for criticism for not ensuring safety precautions like provisioning of life jackets to all passengers before the trip, not providing the vessel with a lifeguard and for the absence of efficient disaster recovery protocols. Excess passengers were also made to sit on unsecured plastic chairs. A similar incident had occurred in 2007 when a tourist boat sank in Thattekkad near Bhoothathankettu, on the Ernakulam-Idukki district border. The deceased included 18 people, most of them students on an excursion.

In the aftermath of this incident, a high court judge filed a report urging comprehensive legislation targeting inland water transportation, which had 86 recommendations, including the introduction of swimming as an extracurricular activity in school. But, the ground realities plaguing the State’s inland waterways are far from being addressed. There is a shortage of trained crew members, as well as faculty to train the boatmen. The unavailability of safety equipment, such as life vests and buoys is also a serious concern. How frequently the owners renew their operating licence, along with their fitness certificates is anybody’s guess.

Tourists entering the boat are also never provided with any safety instructions or briefings, which leaves them to fend for themselves. After much deliberation, the Kerala Maritime Board came into being six years ago, but the agency is crippled by operational challenges including inadequate manpower to guarantee the fitness, licences and safety of as many as 4,000 tourist vessels in Kerala, which include those owned by unlicensed operators as well. Tamil Nadu closely followed the developments in Kerala and its Poompuhar Shipping Corporation in Kanniyakumari tightened security measures for tourists to Vivekananda Rock and Thiruvalluvar statue in boats. Going forward, strict enforcement of safety norms should be a non-negotiable to avoid any such tragedies in the future.