Risks of overcrowding and weather warnings must be assessed beforehand
The cruise tragedy at the Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur city, earlier this week, that claimed nine lives following a sudden, severe storm, is one of the many such accidents around the country involving tourism. The rescue teams have recovered nine bodies and, at the same time, been able to rescue 28 people. Around four people are still missing. The vessel capsized in the dam water as the wind speed reportedly increased from 60 kmph to 70 kmph, creating turbulent conditions in the dam. Bargi Dam, one of the earliest major hydroelectric and irrigation projects on the Narmada River, is a popular tourist site located around 40 km from the city of Jabalpur.
The subsequent complaints coming from several survivors as regards lapses in safety measures are not very surprising, since operators of such services rarely care about the protection of the passengers. The boats linked to tourism rides often display severe safety lapses, including lack of mandatory life jackets, overcrowding, and poor oversight. The passengers taking a ride in the Bargi Dam waters reported that life jackets were unavailable, improperly stored, and only distributed during emergencies. They alleged that life jackets were handed over only after the vessel began sinking, leaving little time to use them amid the panic. It is also reported that there were between 43 and 47 tourists on board the small cruise at the time of the accident.
The Madhya Pradesh government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of each deceased victim and ordered an inquiry into the incident. The officials, on the other hand, said that a detailed investigation will examine whether safety protocols were followed, including the timing of life jacket distribution and the decision to continue operations despite deteriorating weather conditions. Unfortunately, all such post-accident exercises rarely result in improvement as similar mishaps continue to occur elsewhere due to utter negligence on the part of the service providers.
It is still fresh in the public mind how a tourist boat had capsized in the Arabian Sea off Calangute Beach on Christmas Day in 2024, claiming a life. The mishap was followed by a rescue operation of 20 passengers by the lifeguards. Motor malfunction was cited as the primary cause of the accident. Fortunately all except two passengers involved in this accident were wearing life jackets. Incidentally, this calamity had occurred a week after a speeding Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and crashed into passenger ferry ‘Neel Kamal’ off the Mumbai coast, killing 15 persons. The ferry, carrying more than 100 passengers, was on its way from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist attraction famous for its cave temples.
The state government has recently acquired two new high-speed, cruise-like Ro-Ro ferry boats to improve connectivity on the Panaji-Betim route. These vessels feature twin engines and can travel at speeds of 9 knots. The coxswain in charge of these ferries needs to be very cautious, especially as the route of these high-speed vessels is congested with offshore casino vessels, besides regularly plying tourist cruises. The tourist cruises or passenger boats are very much prone to accidents, and negligence on the part of their operators can snatch away precious human lives. It is therefore necessary that key risks like overcrowding, ignoring weather warnings, and lack of emergency equipment should be considered before beginning the journey, however short it may be. One can only hope that there is no repetition of the Bargi Dam tragedy in the future.
