Private tourist boat owners see no silver lining

KOCHI: “If the crisis persists for a few more weeks, Kerala might witness a series of the suicides of those working in the tourism industry,” says a teary-eyed Antony Merwin Louis as he narrates the painful ordeal. Destroyed by two lockdowns and still jobless due to prevailing pandemic-induced restrictions, many like him don’t know what to do now. 

More than 150 boat owners and their employees are currently unemployed. “There is no exaggeration here. Despite going for odd jobs, we are not able to meet the loan premiums and other regular expenses. Who should we blame?” asks Antony.

The boat operators feel it is unfair that they are not allowed to operate while private buses are allowed to ply. “Are all buses following social distancing norms? Do they provide sanitiser to every passenger? By following the odd-even rule, they are letting in everyone into a bus, only pretending everything is being done according to rules,” says Antony. 

Many boat owners want an arrangement where 25 passengers can get on a 50-seater boat at a time. “We are charging only nominal rates and it is only going to boost the tourism economy. We are ready to follow protocol and provide all safety measures to the passengers. Since the 2018 deluge, we are going through a severe financial crunch. Most of us have repayment up to `80 lakh including the pending EMIs,” said Abraham J K, another boat owner.

Demanding a comprehensive package from the state government along with the approval to open up the services, boat owners are planning to reach out to the Tourism minister soon. “We are done with this prolonged wait. All of us have families to look after. Our children are even struggling to attend their online classes. Government has to ramp up the vaccination process and avoid another lockdown in the state. Besides, they should initiate a loan restructuring process to help the industry and provide financial relief to the workers of private boats. Compiling all these demands, we are planning to reach out to the Tourism minister soon,” said Ravikumar V, a private boat owner.

WORKERS FEEL THE HEAT
The workers of these private boats are the most hit section in the crisis. “Ever since the arrival of Corona, life has lost its balance in every sense. Most of us are forced to shift to other jobs like welding and a few are struggling without a job. As there is no guarantee that the industry would return to another lockdown again, many who opted for other jobs probably won’t come back to tourism. The situation is grave and it is high time that the government provide financial relief to the sector and revive it again,” said Paulson V, a worker of the private boat owner.