Kochi: Risky ride in rural ferry boats

KOCHI: The boat mishap that occured on the Thuruthipuram – Gothuruthu route exposes the lack of safety mechanism in small ferry boats operating in rural areas. It is sheer luck that all passengers could be saved and the submerged vehicles recovered. The Department of Ports has failed to take measures to check the stability and safety features of small boats which carry vehicles and passengers beyond  their capacity, with no safety mechanism. 

Meanwhile, in view of the recurring mishaps involving small ferry boats, the Department is planning to prepare a report which will be submitted to the state government seeking immediate steps to ban small boats which did not comply with safety norms, K R Vinod, chief surveyor of Department of Ports told DC. “Though the (Kerala) Inland Vessel Rules 2010 came into force, there are several old boats in service which were licensed by the Chief Inspector of Boats, the earlier licensing agency. It is difficult to ensure the fitness and stability of old boats which are not in compliance with the new safety norms. The state government should either issue an order to discard such inland vessels or give them a timeframe to make the vessels compliant with norms,” added the chief surveyor.

The surveyor will be asked to inspect the site to collect details, he said. The newly constructed boats are inspected and licensed by a committee headed by marine engineers and naval architects. In most of the recent accidents, including the Fort Kochi mishap, the vessels are old ones which were certified by the Chief Inspector of Boats. There are small ferry services operating between Kurumbath-uruth, Kurisingal, Gothurthu, C.P Thuruthu and Thuru-thipuram, small islands near North Paravur. Though these ferry services have been licenced and contracted by the grama panchayat authorities, there is no mechanism to monitor operations.