Relocation of tortoise sanctuary paves way for registration of boats

Varanasi: The Varanasi Nagar Nigam has initiated the process of registration of boats in all categories soon after it was decided to relocate the tortoise sanctuary from Varanasi to a stretch between Mirzapur and Prayagraj.
In the initial phase, the VMC will collect basic data from the boatmen and permit them to restart boat operations in river Ganga, which had been banned with the beginning of Covid-19 lockdown in March, from Thursday. Further process of their registration by prescribing fee for boats in different categories will be restarted after monsoon.
Regarding the decision taken on beginning the registration process for boats and boat operations in the Ganga, district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma told TOI, “Under smart city project the VMC has activated a portal (https://varanasismartcity.gov.in/#/e-services/boating). Currently it has been started for collecting basic data of the boatmen like their name, other personal detail, size and capacity of boat, its operation mode including manual or diesel motor operated and ghats where their boats are anchored.”
The basic registration process for this date collection will also be done manually at the VMC’s zonal offices concerned.
After completing these formalities, the boatmen will get an acknowledgement letter and on the basis of same they will be allowed to start their boat operation in the Ganga from Thursday, he said adding, final registration process of boats with deposition of prescribed fee will be started after monsoon, when boat operation in the river normalises following flood season.
The VMC and local administration has also kept the financial problems of boatmen, which increased during lockdown due to ban on boat operation and collapsing of tourism trade, in view. Thus, it has been decided to start final registration after financial condition of boat will start normalising, added DM.
On Tuesday, divisional forest officer of the Kashi Wildlife Division Mahavir Kaujalgi had informed that the order has been received for the relocation of the tortoise sanctuary from Kashi’s river front to 30-km area away in the stretch between Mirzapur and Prayagraj as it was found fit for being the habitat of the turtles.
Just a day after it, the VMC made its new portal for boatmen operational. The DM admitted that due to existence of tortoise sanctuary the registration process especially of the diesel motor operated boats was not being done by the VMC.
According to VMC, as the boats in river Ganga were operating without any registration, keeping details about their size, capacity and fitness with it was proving impossible. Monitoring of the boats and checking problem of overloading in it were also proving to be difficult exercise for this agency.
VMC said that now not only ensuring the implementation of all safety norms will become possible with the beginning of registration of the boats but possibility of accidents will also reduce.