Special Correspondent
Port Blair, Nov 16: A huge crowd of tourists returning from the Lime Stone Caves and the passengers from Diglipur and Mayabunder in buses waited at Baratang Jetty in scorching sun for the vehicle ferry today.
It could be seen on the other side, but without any movement. It was time for the 3 p.m. convoy but the vehicle ferry was still tied up. Soon rumours started floating that it had break down. Passengers became tense.
At last, about 3.30 MV Lapathy left the jetty and headed slowly towards Baratang. The tour operators, in their hurry started herding their guests like cattle towards the boat even before it berthed. A huge crowd got in and had to be sent up to the wheelhouse deck to squeeze 3 buses.
When the ferry reached the other side the buses rolled off and the tour operators and bus crew were shouting at the passengers to rush to the buses as the convoy has already started. Many tourists, mostly elderly men and women had to run uphill as the bus crews shouted at them to hurry, as they tried to save themselves from being run over by the vehicles reversing on the jetty.
None of the passengers on the ferry had a life jacket. Some were squeezed precariously between the parked buses on the ferry. About ten years ago, in the same spot a bus fell down from the ferry and many people drowned. It’s time to streamline the operations at Middle Strait by having more ferries and regulating their timings. Let us not wait till something dreadful happens.
