No idea who drowns as system feigns ignorance
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Alappuzha: The boarding pass system suggested by a ten-member committee constituted by the government in the wake of the worst-ever houseboat tragedy that occurred on Republic day, claiming the lives of four tourists, has not yet been implemented. The committee on February 25 had suggested that the boarding passes should be implemented in the industry within three months.
At present there is no centralized system to identify the details of tourists who take houseboat cruises, even as fatal incidents have become a common occurrence in the sector. In fact, the police and tourism authorities had no way of tracing the identity of the couple who jumped into the river on Tuesday even hours after the incident.
The body of a houseboat employee, who died after falling off the houseboat on Wednesday night, is still in the mortuary because the authorities have no details about him.
The idea of a boarding pass was introduced to provide a system of checking the arrival and departure of travelers in Alappuzha and for controlling houseboat traffic.
The pass system was designed so that it could help to know complete details of the persons on board. Currently, there is no effective system to know details of the passengers and staff.
The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) secretary Mr C Pradeep asserted, however, that the decision of the committee was being implemented. “We can’t go forward without a centralized system in the present scenario in the industry," he said.
But, All Kerala House Owners Association (AKHOA) General Secretary N Sreekumar said that they would not let the committee implement the decision because the system would adversely affect their business.
“If they implement the boarding pass, the identity of our agents and client will be out so that rivals can easily take our business,” he points out.
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