Court seeks status report on drowning cases in waterbodies

A division bench comprising Justices Vineet Kothari and R Suresh Kumar, on perusing the report filed by the HR&CE department in connection with such cases of drowning in temple tanks-especially concerning bigger temples where over 5000 people may assembly during festivals, said, “The said department should give the details about the security measures they have already taken in such temples and security arrangements to be undertaken from time to time through the concerned Joint Commissioner of the district concerned.”

The bench further directed the State government to file a status report through District Collectors on the security arrangements made at the waterbodies and waterfalls and to explain whether the security arrangements are permanent or temporarily erected for seasonal requirements.

Also seeking details regarding the number of deaths that took place during the past one year in waterbodies and in temple tanks, the bench directed the Union of India to file a status report regarding the funding it provided to theTamil Nadu government and other authorities for implementing safety measures to prevent such deaths.

The petitioner, P Kotteswari, had sought for a direction to the State government to prevent accidental deaths by drowning in waterbodies like lakes, ponds, creeks, beaches and rivers by displaying danger signs. She had submitted that these untoward deaths are preventable and implementation of proven measures at various levels can significantly minimise the risk of drowning and the associated morality.

The petitioner also said that instead of rushing Fire and rescue services personal to save those who are drowning or in the case of retrieving the bodies, the prevention of such accidental deaths in water is extremely crucial, and for the said purpose, it is mandatory to create barriers to restrict the access to open water sources.