Chief Surveyor’s office for Inland Water -A sinking ship
KOCHI: Even after six years since the adoption of Kerala Inland Water Vessel’s Rules 2010, the office of the Chief Surveyor’s Office for Inland Water Vessels - the agency which certifies the fitness of all the boats plying in the state - is still to get permanent staff and required infrastructure. The situation requires immediate attention given the fact that most of the boat mishaps that have occurred in the state have been due to the poor condition of the vessel and total disregard for safety norms. Simply put: The fitness of the around 2,500 boats sailing on the state’s waters cannot be inspected and the lives of the passengers are under threat.
Rule IV 2010 governs all the water crafts which include ferries, cruisers, houseboats and all motorized boats plying in the inland waterways such as navigable rivers, canals, and backwaters in Kerala. As per the rule, all the boats are required to undergo inspection of the hull, machinery and safety apparatus by the Chief Surveyor or surveyor assigned by him before being pressed into service. After survey and inspection, they are to be registered under the registering authority. Also the boats have to undergo regular inspections after every 12 months.
The department is still to be allotted a separate office and permanent chief surveyor. At present, the department operating from the Port Office, Alappuzha has no permanent staff. The only staff are the Chief Surveyor and a surveyor who have been appointed on contract basis.
The office is also short of a watercraft, a vehicle, a dry dock to tie up confiscated unregistered vessels and an enforcement force. At present, the Chief Surveyor and his junior are expected to survey and inspect the water crafts across the state, including both periodic and surprise ones, serve notices, enforce laws and take actions against lawbreakers.
“It’s difficult for us to manage the overwhelming number of 2,500 vessels. There is a limitation to what we can do. We have requested for more staff, offices and facilities for discharging our duties. Interviews have been completed but no appointments have been done yet. Also, we need an enforcement body. The 2015 amendment envisaged for the police force but nothing has been done on that front also. We have been told that the appointments will be done and facilities allotted at the earliest. We are hoping for that,” said Ajayan P K, who is currently the Chief Surveyor. With much of the inland waterways and vessels situated in the region, the safety of water transport is of special concern for Kochi-Travancore region. Many of the houseboats and other motorised boats are plying in the region without registration. They care two hoots about safety regulations.
“Many of the houseboats and other motorised boats neither have proper registration nor pay heed to safety regulations. The two surveyors are helpless and can’t take care of all the motorised boats across the state,” said Josukutty Joseph, president, Kerala House Boat Owner’s Association.
K Padmakumar IPS, who investigated the Fort Kochi boat accident which happened in August 2015, described the inland waterways as “an absolutely unregulated public home” in his report. It seems that very little has changed even after a year.