Port Bair, May 21: A workshop on ‘Safety of Inland Vessels’ was organized by the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman today at Dr. BR Ambedkar Auditorium, PBMC in which the Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman, Ms Veditha Reddy, IAS was the chief guest. The workshop was attended by over 100 Boat Operators/Owners. Representatives from various Departments such as Health Department, IP&T, Port Management Board, Fire, Disaster Management, DC Office and Police Marine Force gave presentations on various safety aspects and rules to be adhered to by the vessel owners.
Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner stressed on the importance of safety measures for both vessels and passengers. She advised the vessel owners to strictly adhere to all norms and regulations. She also mentioned that the boat should not be overcrowded and should strictly adhere to the specified capacity of the vessel and maintain the timing of the vessel. She further stated that Safety equipment should be mandatorily kept in all vessels and passengers should be strictly advised to wear safety jackets which are for their safety. She also mentioned that all vessel operators/crews should know how to give CPR in case of any emergency. She also underlined the need for such workshops on a regular basis and in various locations such as Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep.
In his address, the Chief Port Administrator, Mr. Prashant Kumar highlighted the need to follow all safety precautions without any laxity. He also urged the vessel owners to adhere to the timing specified.
The presentation began with the Directorate of Health Services highlighting life saving procedures and live demonstration of CPR and water expulsion procedures. The presentation of PMB dwelt on various IV Rules and general procedures on boat safety. Stress was given on playing the boat without overcrowding and within allowed time. Availability of life saving equipment was also stressed upon by PMB. The presentation by IP&T stressed on adhering to passenger carrying capacity and listening to grievances of tourists properly. The Department also asked boat operators to have emergency numbers readily available and to prominently display their certificates on their boats.
The presentation of Disaster Management underlined various risk factors especially the weather warnings and other warnings issued from State and District Disaster Management Centres. It was also emphasized upon to use contacts of DSS, PMF, Coast Guard, SEOC etc. during emergencies.
The presentation by the Police Marine Force dwelt on the importance of taking into account wind, weather and currents and importance of Master and his competence. Equipment of life jackets, life buoy and lifeline were explained in detail.
The Fire Services demonstrated the live operation of water based, Foam based and CO2 based fire extinguishers. They also stressed on not allowing smoking on board and not to carry extra fuel on board from a fire safety perspective. They also advised boat operators to keep their engine in good shape.
The Assistant Commissioner (HQ), Mr. Anand Vardhan Mishra while proposing the vote of thanks thanked everyone for their active and enthusiastic participation and reiterated the points raised by the speakers. He reminded the vessel owners of their responsibilities towards the safety of passengers and urged them to strictly follow the safety measures and not to compromise with it.
