Alappuzha: Accidents involving houseboats are common during the monsoon, but the district tourism authorities have taken no steps to curb parties with free flowing liquor that are often held on board several of them although the rains are almost here.
A concerned collector, P Venugopal had strictly banned serving of liquor on houseboats and night cruises during the monsoon in 2011 for reasons of safety, but the ban was not enforced by his successors.
The district administration however, introduced strict guidelines for houseboats after a shikhara boat capsized and an Andhra couple drowned in the Vembanad lake in June last year.
District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) secretary, C Pradeep dismisses the need for seasonal safety measures when a set of rules has already been introduced for the crew of the boats and tourists to be followed all through the year.
“The houseboat owners who violate these guidelines will be fully responsible if anything goes wrong,” he warns.
General secretary of the All Kerala Houseboat Owners Association (AKHOA), for his part, says all boat crew have been ordered not to encourage tourists on board to have liquor parties during the monsoon due to the dangers involved.
But not satisfied with such measures, Mr T R Vaisak, an active campaigner for Responsible Tourism (RT), insists that the district administration ban liquor on board houseboats and night cruising during the monsoon to keep tourists safe.
The police seems to be taking the monsoon more seriously. Sub-inspector of the Tourism Police, S Ganesh says houseboat operators have been ordered to inform it about their cruise and anchoring locations in advance for the sake of safety.
“Houseboats will not be allowed to anchor in isolated spots at night during the monsoon. Police patrolling has already begun to keep a check on this,” he adds.
Over 1,500 houseboats operate in the Alappuzha-Kumarakom stretch of the Vembanad lake, one of the largest water bodies in the country, spanning 2033 sq kms.
