A day after a boat accident led to the death of a young woman, Bakthawar Rana, on Saturday evening, the Telangana Tourism Department suspended operations of its speed boats and began an enquiry to ascertain the causes of the mishap. A team of officials visited the spot and spoke to the drivers and other staff who were present at the time of the accident.
On Saturday evening, the victim went in the speed boat to Buddha statue, where she spent time with her friends and took a few pictures. The group was heading back to the shore when they noticed the mechanised boat and reportedly asked the driver to head towards it, which subsequently led to the collision. “Usually, visitors ask the drivers to take the speed boat close to the cruiser boat so that they can take pictures against the background of the latter,” another official explained.
The tragic incident has forced the Tourism Department to look into certain safety issues too. Till now, the officials only concentrated on the safety of passengers by supplying them life jackets and other rescue material. New rules might be enforced with regard to the safety of visitors as well, stated a senior official.
Meanwhile, the police arrested the speed boat driver, G. Shiva Koti, holding him responsible for the death of Rana. “Had the driver been a little cautious, the incident could have been avoided,” Ramgopalpet Inspector A. Ganga Reddy said. The driver of the mechanised boat, Datla Sambaiah, has also been suspended by the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC). A TSTDC official added that this was the first such accident that had taken place in the Hussainsagar Lake.
An ex gratia of Rs. 3 lakh was given by the State government to Ezaz Uddin Khan, brother of the victim, who had flown in from Dubai, informed a senior official. The deceased was a resident of Dhanbad in Jharkhand. The post-mortem examination was conducted at Gandhi Hospital.
New rules might be enforced with regard to the safety of visitors