Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government for the Tanur boat tragedy that claimed 21 lives on Sunday.
In back-to-back statements and interactions with the media at the accident site, the leaders of both parties accused the tourism and maritime board authorities of turning a blind eye towards brazen safety violations by “politically connected” leisure boat operators.
The attacks against the government unfolded even as the State Human Rights Commission registered a suo moto case and issued notices to the District Collector and the District Police Chief to file affidavits about the incident.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the accident was a tragedy that had been in the making for several years.
The tour boat operator converted a fishing vessel into a sightseeing boat to earn profits. No official tested the boat’s seaworthiness. It possessed no licence.
The sightseeing craft operated with impunity even after sunset. The authorities regularised the illegal conversion callously after imposing a namesake fine. They ignored the cautionary red flags raised by the local legislators to alert the authorities to the impending disaster.
Mr. Satheesan said the government turned a blind eye to safety violations by tour boat operators. Overloading pleasure boats much above their carrying capacity by greedy operators with scant regard for passenger safety was the main reason for maritime accidents in Kerala’s inland waterways, reservoirs and lagoons.
Mr. Satheesan said those who gave political and official cover to the felonious boat operator should answer for the loss of 21 valuable lives.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the government had learned no lesson from past boat tragedies. The recommendations of several judicial commissions that investigated tour and passenger boat accidents remained on paper. The government seemed to care less. Public safety was the least of the administration’s concerns.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) K. Sudhakaran said enforcement authorities seemed to give legal cover to tour boat operators who violated maritime safety norms, possibly at the behest of powerful ruling front politicians.
BJP State president called for Tourism Minister Mohammed Riyaz’s resignation. He said the government’s indifference to maritime safety violations caused the tragedy. It was only interested in prosecuting advertising campaigns hyping Kerala as a safe tourist destination. The Tourism department would need to learn about the safety of tour boats operating in the State.
