Port Blair, Jan 22: A meeting with the tourist boat operators alongwith scuba & snorkelling activities of South Andaman was organized on 17.1.2017 in the conference hall of the Superintendent of Police South Andaman District, in which Shri Atmaram V. Deshpande, SP (CID) and Shri Atul Kumar Thakur SP(South Andaman) in which around 15 tourist boat operators and persons connected to scuba & snorkelling activities were present. They were strictly cautioned that stringent legal action would be taken against the instructor of scuba/snorkelling and any crew member of the tourist boat if they were found to be indulging in any crime especially with regards to women. In case of such crime by the employees of such company etc cancellation of license of scuba/snorkelling of the respective boat owner would be cancelled. They have been asked to engage well trained scuba/snorkelling instructors after getting their character & antecedents verified from Police and to use under water cameras as a safety measure. They were also briefed on various safety measures to be taken by them during ferrying tourists at sea and ensure adequate safety measures like provision of life jackets, life buoy on board and to take precautions during diving activities and also advised to follow various regulations issued in this regard.
The boat operators also raised certain issues like operation of unregistered snorkelling and they were advised to put forth their problems before the appropriate authority. At last, it was urged to ensure safety of the tourists at sea and observe rules while extending snorkelling/scuba to the female tourists. They were also advised not to leave tourists unattended at any place, and ensure availability of alternate boats to evacuate tourists immediately, in case of need.
