Godavari boat tragedy: No regulatory agency to control water transport

VISAKHAPATNAM: Despite repeated boat mishaps claiming many lives in the state, the state government has failed to set up a regulatory authority to control water transport in the state.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), on an average, 30 people die in boat mishaps every year in the state.

In November 2017, 22 people drowned in the Krishna after an overcrowded tourist boat capsized near Ibrahimpatnam Ferry. The private boat was travelling from Bhavani Island to Pavitra Sangamam.
In July 2018, seven people drowned when a boat carrying 31 passengers capsized in the Godavari near Pasuvula Lanka village of East Godavari district.
In 2018, in the wake of a series of boat mishaps in the state, the AP government led by TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu had planned to form an inland water transport regulatory authority to regulate all forms of water transportation. But the plan was not translated into action.
In 2017, the Union tourism ministry had written to the AP government urging it to take all necessary steps to prevent boat mishaps in the Godavari and the Krishna.
According to NCRB, between 2001 and 2015, 493 people died in boat mishaps in AP. Though NCRB is yet to release data on deaths due to boat mishaps since 2016, police say over 120 people have died in boat mishaps in various parts of Andhra Pradesh between 2016 and 2019.
Over 70% of victims in boat mishaps (be it a fishing boat, tourism boat or country-made boat) were men.
Between 2001 and 2015, there were 8,772 boat mishaps in the country, with 10,580 casualties. According to NCRB, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Chhattisgarh together accounted for more than 50% of the deaths in boat mishaps.
Tamil Nadu reported topped the list with 630 deaths while Karnataka (447), Odisha (386) and Kerala (360) followed suit.