GUWAHATI: Raising safety concerns for the passengers aboard the ferry vessels, the inland water transport department has claimed that most passengers are reluctant to wear the life jackets which have been made mandatory by the government.
After the recent floods which affected the state, the department had restricted ferry services effective from July 11 on the Brahmaputra River due to rising water levels above the warning level, heavy currents as well as floating logs and other submerged materials in the river.
However, the ferry services were later resumed from July 22 after the water level receded. But the safety issues remain a perennial cause of concern for the authorities as many passengers do not want to wear life jackets for the duration of their commute.
“We have seen that people are reluctant to wear life jackets on the ferries. We are planning to create awareness for them for the same,” director inland water transport department, Dhruba Jyoti Das told G Plus.
The inland water transport department is also planning to announce safety instructions for ferry passengers in order to ensure their safety.
“We are planning to begin announcement of security advisory in our ferries and in our ghats. These demonstrations and announcements will be along similar lines of the safety instructions demonstrated in the aeroplanes,” Das informed.
He added that since they noticed that the passengers are reluctant to wear life jackets, the officials thus took the decision to make them aware about the importance of wearing life jackets while travelling on ferries.
It is to be mentioned that a motorised country boat capsized in the Brahmaputra River in September last year leading to the death of three passengers. After the incident, the state government had made it mandatory for ferries to have life jackets and life buoys on board. It was also made mandatory for each passenger to wear life jackets.
Following the incident, the state government had also decided to form a regulatory authority to ensure safety of passengers and for effective public service.
Das informed that the regulatory authority has already been formed.
“We are in the process of getting fully prepared to strengthen the regulatory authority. Some officials have already been posted while some are in the process of being posted,” said the director.
Officials informed that the principal secretary of the transport department will be heading the regulatory body, while deputy secretary will be the secretary.
“We have nominated four more officials from the transport department as well as the IWT. We are in the process of nominating other members also,” said authorities of the IWT.
Members of this regulatory authority will conduct safety audits to regulate the ferry services.
“They will have the task forces at the level of the district magistrate involving the deputy commissioner,” said Das.
The director, however, said that the department does not have sufficient numbers of life jackets and buoys as per the requirements.
“We are providing life jackets and life buoys to the ferries but currently we do not have sufficient number of life jackets. Now, we are in the process of procurement of life jackets and buoys from Assam State Disaster Management Authority,” said Das.
He added that the IWT department had procured from their side but that was not sufficient so they are placing their requirements on the basis of vessels which are currently running in the ghats.
“This is a continuous process, we will go on procuring as per our requirements,” informed Das.
On the other hand, a driver of an IWT-owned ferry vessel in Guwahati reiterated the concern of passengers not wearing the life jackets.
“They feel that it is a government vessel so they will be safe, but they should understand that life jackets are for their own safety,” Naren Engti, a first class driver of a ferry vessel in Guwahati told G Plus.
He further added that the All Assam Inland Water Transport Employees’ Association has demanded new vessels from the inland water transport department as some of the ferries that are operational have old engines.
Engti mentioned that part from this, the association has put forth their demand for time-bound promotion of the employees.
Moreover, they have also asked the government to recruit more people on the ferry vessels as some of the ferries do not have adequate number of staff.
