Lessons we must immediately learn from Andhra boat tragedy
After every major boat mishap, one hears the same story – gross violations of safety norms by the boat operator and the administration’s failure to crack down on such violations and prevent avoidable accidents. The major boat tragedy on the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh last Sunday is no different.
The river was in spate and according to officials, all staterun boats had been stopped from plying because of the danger the river posed in that condition. So how was a private boat allowed to operate at immense risk to the passengers? Why had the government not put up a board at the river site, prohibiting boating and warning tourists about the state of the river that rendered boating too dangerous? Just a warning board could well have averted the tragedy and saved all those tourists on their way to the picturesque Papikondalu tourist spot in the middle of the river. But thanks to the administration’s laxity and the boat operator’s greed, about 35 people died and another 16 are still missing- likely to be caught under the boat, stuck 210 feet deep inside the river.
The exact cause of the accident is still unclear- one has to wait for the inquiry- while some say that the boat capsized on account of a huge whirlpool, some other reports talk of the boat hitting a