Who is responsible for drowning incidents: Bombay HC

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has taken serious note of the recent drowning incidents of four persons — three of them were aged 17 while one was a 22-year-old — at Juhu beach.

The court has asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the state government who is responsible for such incidents. The court further asked that if everything is in place, why such drowning incidents are happening.

A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla was hearing a PIL filed by NGO Janhit Manch in 2010 raising the issue of people’s safety on beaches. The petition also sought implementation of a GR issued by the state government in 2006 pertaining to people’s safety on beaches in the state.

On Wednesday, amicus curiae advocate Jamshed Mistry informed the court that despite the high court’s orders, the state government was not keen on implementing its own GR. The court then asked why red flags were not being installed on the beaches during high tide and bad weather.

The petitioner informed the court that there were no lifeguards at Juhu to save the people when these four youths had drowned.   

BMC counsel Suresh Pakale informed the court that there are earmarked areas for swimming on the beaches but the four youths had entered the sea from private property where the BMC’s lifeguards can’t keep watch.

He also said that BMC has few lifeguards in Mumbai and it is planning to recruit people. The court then asked the state government to give the names of recognised organisations next week.

On July 6, Faisal Shaikh. Fardeen Saudagar, Sohail Khan and Nazir Ghazi, who entered the sea off Juhu beach for a swim at around 5.30 pm, drowned and died. The lifeguards at the beach were able to rescue one of the group, Wasim Khan (22), as he hadn’t ventured that deep into the sea.

The bodies of the remaining youths were found within three days of the incident. The lifeguards claimed that the beach is facing a scarcity of trained lifeguards who come in handy during such emergencies.

Faisal’s body washed ashore early on Saturday near the J.W. Marriott hotel in Juhu.