TS, AP throw tourist safety norms to wind

Operating marine vessels sans insurance

• Irrigation officials say their responsibility ends with issuing ‘fitness certificates’
• Even private operators reluctant to take insurance cover

Hyderabad: Telangana State and Andhra Pradesh governments, which claim to have been promoting world-class tourism in their respective states, seem to be ignoring the most important aspect relating to public safety. According to sources, “The Tourism Department-run marine vessels in inland waters of Krishna and Godavari and other rivers as well as in reservoirs and other natural and artificial lakes do not have any provision of insurance cover in case of accidents.”

This aspect has assumed greater importance in the backdrop of minor accident in the river Godavari at Rajahmundry when the boat in which Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and some Ministers were travelling collided with another boat in which media persons were taken. Fortunately a timely action by the boat drivers averted a major accident.

Clarifying on this, an Irrigation official in the Telangana State said, “There is no proper regulatory framework for the marine vessels moving in inland waterways of both the states in regard to the safety aspects. The Irrigation Department only gives fitness certificate for all these vehicles to operate in the rivers and other inland waters, he said.

An Irrigation official from Krishna delta told The Hans India that “At present the AP Irrigation Departments gives fitness certification to boats and their modern variants like motorable steamers, public and private cruises, house boats and private Yachts. There ends the matter as far as Irrigation Department’s intervention is concerned,” he said.

The other activity is to grant licences to mechanised boats engaged in the commercial activities, including the fishing trawlers under the Andhra Pradesh Marine Fishing (Regulation) Rules 1995. Officials of the State Fisheries Department which is the regulating authority under the Andhra Pradesh Marine Fishing (Regulation) Rules said that there was no regulatory structure to monitor the boats that are used for the purpose of tourism and recreation.

Most of the owners take hull insurance for their vessels, but not the coverage of tourists travelling in them,” the sources said. When asked, the Executive Engineer of the Godavari Delta said, “The existing license period lasts for one more year. When the owners of the vessels would come for fitness certificates, then they would insist upon owners of all types vessels subscribing to insurance.

However, while they may succeed in insisting on insurance from private operators, the problem was with Tourism Departments who were reportedly not showing interest in subscribing to insurance. Since they were government departments, the irrigation officials were not able to demand that they should take insurance, while issuing fitness certificates, the sources said.

By VRC Phaniharan