ALAPPUZHA: The sinking of the double-decker houseboat in Punnamada lake on Friday highlights the poor safety measures in houseboats putting the lives of the tourists at risk.
Fifty-one domestic tourists had a miraculous escape when the boat sank near Dock Chira while it was approaching the jetty for anchoring.
On June 20, a raid carried out by a police team had found 250 houseboats without valid documents. Most often, the erring houseboats go scot-free.
The ill-fated boat belonged to Tomi Pulikattil, who runs a dozen houseboats here. According to port department data, at least 659 licensed houseboats and 248 shikharas are currently plying in the backwaters.
Of them, only 700 boats have passed the stability test while 5,500 persons were given licences as crew members.
Mr A. Vinod, port officer, said the licences are issued as per the norms of Kerala Inland Vessels Act, 2010, which stipulates each houseboat has to have at least three workers – two lascars, one srank and one driver.
The shikhara must have a srank who can instruct the tourists about the safety measures while cruising.
“The licence is issued after verifying that the boat has enough lifebuoys, lifejackets, fire extinguishers and other safety equipment. Knowledge of swimming is prescribed for the crew members. The department has cleared all papers for setting up floating jetties. The irrigation department has been asked to start the work at earliest,” said the port officer.
There is manpower shortage to conduct the stability tests. “Most of the people who have been authorized to conduct the test are professors in Cochin University who are busy with academic activities,” the official said.
There have been a number of boat accidents due to the non-use of life-saving apparatus. On July 6 last year, two youths drowned as a country boat capsized near CMS jetty here.
A 33-year-old man fell off a houseboat into Chithira kayal in Kuttanad on November 11 while a house boat worker lost his life after falling off a houseboat at Rainbow jetty on November 15.
A 58-year-old woman died after falling from a shikara boat at Vilakkumaram jetty on October 26.
