Tragedy in Kerala
The tragic incident of a tourist boat capsizing in Kerala’s Malappuram district on Sunday evening (Page, 1, May 8), just like the Morbi bridge accident in Gujarat, shows the level of human negligence in the country. No doubt tourism needs to be encouraged in India to boost the economy but it should not be at the expense of human safety. It is standard practice in our country to react only after an accident and to never be proactive in preventing a tragedy.
Kshirasagara Balaji Rao,
Hyderabad
The only aim of the officials and the political executive is to go through the motions of taking what appears to be drastic action. The focus is always on the optics of a futile exercise such as visits by Ministers and other political busybodies. Corruption is at the root of all these accidents. Ideally, those found guilty of a dereliction of duty must face deterrent punishment. But, going by the record of actions taken following accidents, it will be business as usual once the media glare shifts to other issues.
Kurian Mathew,
Kochi
The tragic incident took me back to a visit we made to the Periyar Lake, Kerala, in January and the ride we took on one of the boats. We found the boat to be unsafe due to the poor condition of the lifejackets — the fastening clips were missing and the seams and reflective strips were torn.
I took pictures of these and sent them by email to the Principal Secretary, Kerala Tourism and also the Kerala government. The safety culture is non-existent. Staff were not wearing jackets. It was obvious that these items had not been inspected for quite some time which seemed to indicate a very apathetic attitude. No instructions on how to wear the jackets were visible or announced by the staff as there was more than one type of lifejacket. Finally, the use of lifejackets is unsuitable because of their bulk. Life vests should be considered.
Arvind Keith,
Bengaluru
Even though similar incidents have happened in the past, there are no strong measures in place to prevent such tragedies.
K. Sivankutty Nair,
Thiruvananthapuram
It remains to be seen whether the Kerala government will ensure that safety guidelines are observed by hundreds of house boats and other small boats ferrying scores of people in different parts of Kerala.
Shiju Thalikunju,
Secunderabad
Manipur unrest
The unrest in Manipur reflects multifarious and long-standing issues of identity, governance, and development in northeast India.
The solution to these issues requires a nuanced approach, involving dialogue, empathy, and a willingness to address the concerns of all communities involved in these States.
The incumbent State government in coordination with the central government must ensure peace in the region.
Mudgal Venkatesh,
Kalaburagi, Karnataka
