Jetty collapse toll now 13, government to ensure safer boats

Kolkata: Toll in the jetty collapse at Bhadreshwar, Hooghly, rose to 13 on Friday, with the recovery of eight more bodies by the National Disaster Response Force.

The bodies were found near Jagaddal and Shyamnagar in the North 24 Parganas side and Chandannagar and Gaurhati ghat on the Hooghly side. Twenty speed boats have been engaged for the search operation. Hooghly police superintendent Sukesh Jain said that seven among the 13 bodies have been identified so far. Five persons are still missing.

Taking note, the government plans to launch “Jaldhara” scheme on the lines of “Gatidhara”, to provide financial assistance to boatmen for converting semi-mechanised unsafe boats into mechanised boats to avert accidents.

State chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee chaired a meeting with senior officials of the transport, PWD, irrigation and waterways, panchayat and municipal affairs departments and the police, in the wake of the recent jetty disaster and it was decided that the government will gradually stop semi mechanised boats from ferrying passengers and overhaul the jetties across the state that are not in good condition. The district magistrates and the police superintendents joined the meeting through video conference.

Principal secretary, transport, Alapan Bandopadhyay said that 30 per cent of the total conversion cost, or a maximum of Rs 1 lakh would be provided to the owners of the semi-mechanised boats. There are around 14,000 semi-mechanised boats and Rs 3 to 5 lakh is required to convert a semi-mechanised boat into a mechanised one.

“It has been found that the semi-mechanised boats are illegal, unregistered, unsafe and are a major reason behind accidents. These boats have to be phased out gradually,” Mr Bandopadhyay said.

Meetings would also be held with the mechanised boat manufacturing companies for increasing production. “The state government would pull down the temporary jetties that have come up next to the permanent ones and lay concrete on the wooden jetties that are popular among the local people,” he said.

A technical committee comprising chief engineers of the engineering departments of the irrigation and waterways, PWD and PHE was set up for suggesting long-term and short-term measures for upgrading the jetties. There are a total of 1,000 jetties of which 700 are popular among local people.

Among the 700 jetties, 138 have been identified as major jetties and 121 as semi-major jetties. State government has decided to upgrade around 200 to 250 jetties and bring them under the standard operating procedures including proper lighting facilities, availability of drop gates, safety and life saving arrangements at the jetties. The government will also undertake a campaign to generate awareness on waterways safety.

The four arrested lease-holders of Telenipara jetty, booked on for culpable homicide charges in Bhadreswar were produced at the court and were remanded to seven days of police custody.