KOCHI: It is a sad irony that the tragedy atPunnamada happened on the same day as the Kerala tableau at the R-Day parade in New Delhi showcased the houseboat. Following the accident, along with the usual handwringing the blame game too has begun as the government and thetourism industry accused each of other for being primarily responsible.
"Houseboats are a major attraction for tourists in the state and such incidents bring ill-repute to the tourism sector. We will be taking immediate steps to bring in more stringent regulations for houseboat operators", said tourism minister AP Anil Kumar.
However, All Kerala Houseboat Owners' Association claims that the government is also to be blamed for the mishap. "The 12 boat jetties here are in a bad shape and only two jetties can be used. Though the government has gone ahead and given licence to several new operators, they have not improved the facilities. Many houseboats don't have proper parking facility", said association member Devasia Iype.
The government, in turn, contends that any effort to bring in regulation has been met with stiff resistance from houseboat operators. "In the past, we did try to bring in regulations, but the houseboat lobby objected. But this tragedy is an eye-opener that we need to have regulations in place to ensure tourists' safety", added Anil Kumar.
The tourism department has called a meeting with ports department officials next week to form rules and regulations to ensure safety of tourists who embark on a houseboat.
The ports department issues licence to houseboats to operate. Before issuing a licence, the ports department officials verify if the houseboat adheres to the required safety and security measures. Meanwhile, tourism department does classification of the houseboats, depending on the facilities available in the houseboat. The classification is done only after the houseboat gets a licence to operate.
"There has been proliferation of houseboats in the last few years but there is no regulation on its safety, upkeep and crew. It is essential to immediately lay down regulations to streamline houseboat operations and bring in more discipline in the sector", admitted tourism secretary Suman Billa.
To curb this, the tourism department is now mooting the idea of posting marshals at boarding points to regulate the number of people using each boat. "We want to ensure that any operator who violates the rules and regulations will face stringent action, even cancellation of the houseboat licence", added Billa.
Though a large number of houseboats are professionally managed, there are several without valid licence or licensed crew. "The power to issue licence has been entrusted with the state ports department. But they don't have enough officials to check the safety aspects in the houseboat", said All Kerala Houseboat Owners' Association member, V C Zacharia. Similarly, though houseboats in Kerala are bound by the Kerala Inland Vessels Rules, 2000, which requires that the houseboat driver must have passed ITI course for diesel mechanic or motor mechanic, it remains on paper. "None of the houseboats meets this requirement. Most of the houseboats hire drivers who had undergone gone 4-day training with the port department", added Zacharia.
Ports minister K Babu doesn't deny this. He said, "From now we will strictly implement the rules and only if the houseboats meets all the requirements will they be allowed to operate".
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