Kochi: The Cochin Port Trust has put the blame entirely on the fisheries department for the boat tragedy that claimed the lives of 11 people at Fort Kochi on August 26. The report of the investigation conducted by the CPT deputy conservator was submitted to the chief secretary on October 8.
The accident happened when fishing boat Besaleel rammed into MB Bharath, a ferry boat owned by Kochi municipal corporation. The report, which was accessed through the Right to Information Act, states that Besaleel was not fit to ply and that the fisheries department had failed to ensure safety to the passengers through regular monitoring of the fishing boats.
Besaleel had a sharp steel bow projecting two metres above the deck and it disrupted the vision of the driver. Due to this, the driver failed to notice the ferry boat on time which was the key reason for the accident, said the report.
Had the department done a thorough inspection, the boat wouldn’t have conducted service. Besaleel was registered by the assistant director of fisheries department in 2011 without doing any inspection and most of the columns in the registration form were seen unfilled. The report also points out that the department had not been inspecting boats for the last two years and that there are no surveyors for inspections.
The absence of surveying and certification was evident when Besaleel was permitted by the department to ply, the report said.
