Alappuzha: Security concerns have once again come to the fore with the death of a Anjith, 28, who who was electrocuted atop a houseboat here the other day.
A native of Nemam, Thiruvananthapuram, he touched a live wire over the Punnamada jetty, as the houseboat moved on.
There are some 5,500 employed in the sector to take care of the tourists while cruising in the backwaters here but they are poorly trained.
This is not a first time the irresponsible crew leading to such incidents. At least six cases of death either on the houseboats or the local boats were reported last year.
With the summer showers continuing unabated and the monsoon expected to set in over Kerala coasts in a few days, such incidents are likely to increase.
Despite the authorities coming up with measures to improve services, the situation remains the same. “Reasons for the mishaps are many,” says Rocha Chacko, a boat owner.
“The industry requires competent, committed and professional employees. It might sound strange but many of them don’t know how to swim”.
At least 659 licensed houseboats and 248 shikharas are currently operating on the backwaters of Alappuzha and only 700 of them have passed stability test.
Licenses are being issued as per the norms of the Kerala Inland Vessels Act, 2010, which stipulates each houseboat should have at least three workers – two lascars, one syrang and one driver and the shikharas must have a syrang capable of convincing tourists about the safety measures while cruising.
The license is issued after verifying that it has enough lifebuoys, life jackets, fire extinguishers and other safety equipment. Mandatory knowledge of swimming is prescribed for the crew. However, all deaths occurred last year because they had not used any of them.
