Port Blair, January 29: A condolence meeting in memory of 21 persons who lost their lives in the boat tragedy on 26th January 2014 was held at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar auditorium, Port Blair. The Lt Governor, Lt Gen (Retd), A K Singh and the First Lady of the Islands, Smt Suneeti Singh led the Islanders in paying homage to the departed souls. The Member of Parliament, Shri B.P. Ray, Smt Rupa Ray, Chief Secretary, Chairperson (SWB) and Adhyaksha of SA Zilla Parishad were present alongwith public representatives, distinguished citizens, officers of the Administration and the media.
Expressing his grief, the Chairperson (PBMC), Shri K. Ganeshan read out a condolence message on behalf of the residents of the city. He stated that it is really sad that the tourists came to the Islands for a holiday, but lost their lives. On behalf of all islanders, he offered deepest condolences.
The Lt Governor on behalf of the people of the Islands also offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. “May God give the families the strength to bear this untimely and irreparable loss and grant peace to the departed souls”, he said.
Expressing his shock and grief over the tragedy, the Lt Governor said this tragedy should not have happened and perhaps could have been prevented, if every individual, whether in Govt. or private services had done their job properly. Speaking in an emotionally choked voice, he said according to him the main reasons for the tragedy can be attributed to the greed of some people-greed of money, which has become more important than the precious lives of the visiting guests. It is this greed that made them disregard all safety aspects while operating the boats, he said. He further said that while details would emerge after the inquiry is completed, but preliminary reports have indicated that the boat was carrying more people than the authorized capacity beside there are questions arising on the capability of the crew. He also mentioned that he had received condolence messages from the President of India, Prime Minister of India, Home Minister, Army Chief and many other people across the country.
He expressed his disappointment on the inaction of some of the seafarers, who despite their presence in the vicinity of the accident site choose not to respond. “It is the law of the sea that boats/ships present in vicinity of an emergency, should respond quickly to commence the rescue operations”, he said. On the other hand, some of the following boats did a commendable rescue effort.
Expressing his dissatisfaction on the safety and security aspects in the boats, the Lt Governor expressed his displeasure that rules and regulations have been compromised and underscored the need for ensuring safety and security of passengers in all boats/ships being operated in the Govt and private sectors. He issued directions to the Chief Secretary and DGP to ensure that all safety rules and regulations are implemented strictly. “There will be no compromise on the safety and security aspects”, he said and added that he had ordered a detailed safety audit of all boats plying in and from the islands. Detail safety SOPs will be formulated and their compliance will be ensured. For the purpose an enforcement agency will be created by the Administration and coordinated by the DGP and Secretary (Shipping). Directions have been issued to ensure that every boat/ship is sea worthy, safety equipment is in place, crew members are with proper training and insurance of the passengers is done.
The Lt Governor also urged the media to cross check information before publishing so that correct information reaches the people.
Turning to the emergency response system in the Islands, the Lt Governor observed that our emergency response system should also focus on preparedness for such emergencies and ensure prompt response. While the response was quick, it can be streamlined further, he said. In this connection Police Boats will be stationed in high density areas.
Towards the end, the Lt Governor thanked all who helped in the rescue and relief operations and thus ensured that many lives were saved and bodies transported the very next day.
