THEKKADY: The much awaited relaunch of boating in the famed lake here, which is yet to come out of the shock of the tragedy, will happen on the very next day after all the vessels availed itselves of fresh fitness certificates, said KTDC chairman Cherian Philip here on Tuesday.
Speaking at a seminar on 'Responsible Tourism', he said that on the court directive, a series of safety measures had been ensured for the passenger boats plying in the reservoir.
They include introduction of internationally- rated life jackets, buoys and inclusion of life guards and divers.
"The government and KTDC is keen to restart boating at Thekkady so as to address the concerns of Kerala's tourism sector and the livelihood means of the local people", he maintained.
He said that a high level ministerial meet held two weeks ago had finalised all the safety measures and the KTDC hopes to fulfil all the criterion for availing fresh fitness certificates as early as possible.
Adding to it, Home Tourism minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, whose message was read out in his absence, also stated that the government planned to bring in People's Vigilante and Safety committees to ensure prompt monitoring of the boat services.
The government is aware of the hardships faced by the local people with the non-arrival of tourists after the cancellation of boat services, he said and assured all possible steps would be taken to restart the services very soon.
Cherian Philip said that permanent boat drivers would be appointed once the PSC finalised a rank list. Thekkady is a pivotal centre as far as Kerala's tourism circuit was concerned and without boating, the destination would have little charm.
It is important that a whole set of safety measures is essential,to prevent recurrence of any sort of tragedy in the waters, he said and admitted that many centres, including the government and KTDC were guilty for the mishap which claimed the lives of many.
"Without going for a postmortem, the issue is to regain the lost glory after ensuring the safety parameters, including those suggested by the courts",he said.
The seminar was held under the aegis of 'Madhyamam Vichara Vedi',an affiliate of the Malayalam daily. Madhyamam executive editor V M Ibrahim presented the topic.
E S Bijimol MLA, Kumily gramapanchayath president Shiya Zakeer, CPM district secretary M M Mani, CPI district secretary K K Sivaraman, Alex Kozhimala (KC-M), Prof M J Jacob (KC-J), T M Salim (IUML), EDC Confederation chairman Hydrose Meeran and others spoke.
A civic protest rally, sponsored by the Kumily gramapanchayath, Merchants Association, Taxi Drivers Union and other outfits, marched to the venue prior to the meet, demanding early resumption of boating in the lake and thereby ensure the usual influx of tourists in the area during the annual season.