Writings in the sand usually do not last for long. But on the beaches of Poovar, the waves have been unable to wipe off the handwriting of death.
The accident in which a woman and four teenagers lost their lives last week, after being swept away by a sudden surge of waves on the sandbar at Poovar, was not an isolated accident. It was the latest in a series of similar tragedies at the tourist attraction. The continuing accidents point to the lethargic approach of officials to the issue in Poovar, which is a double-edged one with the unpredictable nature of waves on one side, and the illegal plying of boats on the other. Majority of the boats ply without any safety measures.
While a positive outcome has been the posting of lifeguards on the sandbar this week, the larger issue of illegal operations by boat operators still remains. Boat operators, most of whom function without requisite licences for their boats or for the drivers, have been behind the posting of the lifeguards, but at the same time, have been reluctant to get their own operations legalised.
Though the issue was discussed at a recent meeting between the operators, the police, and the Poovar panchayat authorities, a final decision on how the illegal operations are to be reined in is yet to be taken.
The meeting ended with the panchayat deciding to examine what it, as the local governing body concerned, could do to tackle the unlicensed boat tours.
The police, on the other hand, will be intensifying its inspections and raids, which they say have been a regular feature in the area for the past one year. One such raid in November last year had seen the police seizing 40 boats that were operating in the Poovar backwaters illegally, without even basic safety measures, including lifejackets. However, the authority that should have acted much earlier, by issuing licences and ensuring safety precautions — the Ports Authority — is yet to act.
The police officials said their role was limited, since it was the Ports Authority that had the power to issue licences. “The police can continue the raids, but for how long?” asks a senior police officer. Whether the panchayat can make a change, and whether the Ports Authority will wake up from its slumber, remain to be seen.
(Reporting by Dennis Marcus Mathew)
