KOCHI: The Kerala Ports Department has stopped the one-month grace period, from the day of fitness tests, allowed to boat owners to produce all required documents.
Interestingly, the move has resulted in more boats getting the safety certificate in district like Alapuzha and Ernakulam as officials say boatowners now submit all needed documents such as insurance and crew licence on the day of the fitness test itself.
“Earlier the owners showed laxity in producing the documents during fitness tests of boats citing the grace period provision.
Now we have become strict that unless the documents such as insurance and stability test are produced on the day allotted for the annual test, the licence will not be renewed,” said Kerala Ports Department Chief Surveyor C K Ajayan.
The maximum ‘safe boats’ operating are in Alapuzha district (330) followed by Ernakulam (100) followed by Vizhinjam (51), Kollam (24) and Beypore (21).
More boats would have featured in the safe boat list in Ernakulam but for the additional tests conducted by the Cochin Port Trust.
The body insists on boats plying in the Kochi harbor being brought for a fitness test every three months, taking into account the comparative high rate of boat mishaps.
