Had it been a fisherman who regularly goes to the sea, the boat would not have capsized in the Pulicat lake, according to heads of 15 fisherfolk panchayats of Light House Kuppam Panchayat.
Inland fishermen who have little knowledge of the sea are allowed to operate boats often resulting in mishaps, such as the one on Sunday in which 22 persons drowned after a boat capsized in the Pulicat lake. Ansari, who took the family of an hotelier from Gummidipoondi in the boat, was an inland fisherman.
Had it been a fisherman who regularly goes to the sea, the boat would not have capsized, according to heads of 15 fisherfolk panchayats of Light House Kuppam Panchayat. Ansari was arrested but released on bail later.
“We depend on the sea for our livelihood. We know where the trouble spots are, when the tide is in and out and when the winds are strong,” said C.Easwaran, one of the panchayatdars. The panchayat heads, who met on Monday, decided to appeal to authorities, including the District Collector, to regulate boating and permit only those who go fishing in the sea to take tourists on boat rides.
Similar tragedy
“In 1994 when a similar tragedy happened, it was an inland fisherman who was responsible. Our boats have safety gear, including life jackets, ropes for people to hold on to and also tyre tubes. We also ensure that at least three of our men are in the boat ready to help in emergencies,” said K.M.Bhaskar, vice-president, Light House Kuppam Panchayat.
Popular tourist destinations
The Light House Kuppam beach and the Pulicat lake are popular tourist destinations attracting hundreds of people on Sundays and holidays. Manoharan of Koonangkuppam said that a rule that no more than 10 persons should be taken in a boat, introduced sometime ago, was enforced only for a few months.
He added that on holidays the number of visitors swells and at least 400 boats were required to meet the daily demand.
The charge would be anywhere between Rs.400–Rs.1,000 depending on the number of persons and the distance to be travelled.
No illumination
“We want police protection on coming Sunday, New Year's Day. One cannot imagine the kind of crowds that come here. But the beach lacks illumination. Though lights are installed they do not function. We want a road leading to the beach to be laid, proper parking facilities and toilets,” said R.Karunakaran, president Light House Kuppam Panchayat.
K.B.Kannaiyyan, president of Pazhaverkadu Panchayat, under which there are 10 fishing hamlets, said the State government must introduce boating services to prevent fishermen from taking people on trips into the sea. “We have space here for creating tourism facilities. This will help prevent tragedies,” he said. Official sources in the district administration said a proposal for setting up some kind of tourist facility for boating would be sent to the State government.
Keywords: Pulicat boat capsize, Pulicat lake, Pulicat lake tragedy, boat capsize
In the UK, the Domestic Passenger vessels are very well regulated and accidents such as these are rare.Commercial vessels that carry upto 12 Passengers fall under a Code of Practice. Depending on the area of operation there are rules regarding construction, equipment, Life Saving & Fire fighting arrangements, Stability, Manning & qualifications of staff. These Coded vessels are annually surveyed and certified by professional bodies. They can then operate under licence from local authorities following their special requirments. Vessels that carry more than 12 Passenger are more strictly regulated. They are equipped and operated as per laws laid out by Parliament called Statutory Instruments. They are constructed to standard rules such as those from Classfication Society. Additonally they operate under a Domestic Safety Management System. They are annually Surveyed and Certificate by the Government. It is illegal to carry Passengers on Fishing vessels in the UK.
As a qualified Sailing / Power boat instructor and with 20 years sea experience, I find this article 'sea going fishermen are better equipped to offer boating' a big joke. No fishermen should be allowed to take passengers, as the their boat is build for the purpose of fishing. Even if they were taking their family out on a Joy ride they should make the family members wear a Life Jacket. Every boat has to be checked and certified how many passenger it can carry over and above the crew on board. Unless you know the capacity of the boat how one can say it loaded or over loaded. We have to look into checking and registering boats and assigning safe working limits, inland or high seas. Alternately we have to create boating centers where tourist can take a joy ride with proper safety precaution. With the help of press & media we could probably get life jackets donated to such spots where it is common for fishermen to take passengers on joy ride.
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