Kerala boat tragedy: No lessons learnt from past mistakes
The Tanur boat tragedy in Kerala that killed 22 people is a clear case of criminal negligence. All those parts of the system—from boat operators to local officials to the state government—should be held accountable for the loss of precious lives. The state government has ordered a judicial probe, but officials and their political bosses must realise the tragedy could have been averted had they done their job and enforced safety rules without any scope for violations. The story of this tragedy is a story of violations.
The operator compromised all security measures stipulated for tourist’s vessels and packed the boat with tourists to double its capacity without even providing enough life jackets. Initial reports indicate that the boat did not have the mandatory registration from the ports department and had not undergone the check to confirm it was indeed fit to carry tourists. It was a fishing boat converted into a tourist boat after cosmetic changes. The operator did not follow the condition that there should not be any service after 6 pm. Some persons who bought tickets for the journey backed out after seeing the lack of security measures. What’s shocking is that the boat operator’s lapses and violations had been reported to the officials concerned earlier, but there was no action.
It has become customary for the authorities to swing into action after every tragedy. Expect a series of announcements and brisk inspections for a few days, but things will return to square one after the dust settles and the din subsides. Kerala has witnessed several boat accidents in the past, including the tragedy at Thekkady in 2009 which killed 45 tourists, at Kumarakom in 2002, in which 29 lives were lost and at Thattekkad in 2007 which killed 15 students, two teachers and one employee. Judicial commissions were set up to probe these incidents, and it was revealed that sheer negligence was the main reason for all the tragedies. Sadly, the recurring tragedies show that the authorities have learnt nothing.
The government should ensure that the judicial probe into the Tanur incident does not meet the same fate as such investigations in the past. Such accidents harm Kerala’s image and its tourism potential. A proper mechanism to ensure the safety of tourists should be put in place apart from handing out exemplary punishments to those who put people’s lives in danger.