Kochi: The State Minority Commission has criticised Kochi Corporation for the boat tragedy and ordered the resumption of the Fort Kochi – Vypeen service at the earliest.
There was criminal negligence on the part of the corporation in permitting a boat more than 35 years old to operate on the riskiest route.
A charitable organisation approached the commission against the delay in resuming the services leaving hundreds of ordinary people in difficulty.
Before giving licence to boats and junkars, the civic body, the contractor and other concerned agencies should ensure that they comply with all safety norms, its chairman M. Veerankutty said.
It should take necessary steps to avoid similar mishaps in future, and the district collector should coordinate the safety measures.
The commission also recommended the state government to provide job and housing to relatives of accident victims who are from a very poor financial background.
During the sitting, commission member V.V. Joshy said when he inspected the accident spot, it was found that the archaic boat crushed like a biscuit when it was lifted from backwaters using a crane.
It also heard other complaints submitted by members of minority communities. It considered 19 cases during the sitting held at the district collectorate.
