Canoe
mishap toll rises to nine
Sandesh Prabhudesai
16 April 2003
The death toll of the tourist canoe mishap that took place
in Goa yesterday rose to nine while one injured is being hospitalised.
The police have also identified the nine bodies of Andhra
Pradesh-based tourists, whose bodies were recovered from the
Arabian Sea off Anjuna coast. The canoe carrying around 25
tourists had capsized yesterday evening.
Except S. Sridhar from Karimnagar, the rest eight are from
Khamam district. These are D. Janardhan, D. Anjanullu, V.
Nageshwar Rao, Ashok Reddy, V. Sridharan, V. Srinivas Rao,
K. Rama Rao and K. Nageshwar Rao. K. Venkat Rao from Vijay
Nagar is being treated in a district hospital here.
The Anjuna police have already registered a case of culpable
homicide under section 304 IPC against the local canoe driver
and two crew members. All the three accused however are absconding.
The tragic incident took place yesterday when a group of
25 tourists from among around 200 tourists from Andhra Pradesh
decided to hire a canoe for a joy ride. A strong wave in the
rough sea hit the canoe, resulting into the tragedy.
Tourism minister Mickky Pacheco in the Assembly today admitted
that thousands of such canoes have been carrying tourists
for a joy ride illegally, but assured to immediately stop
all such illegal boat rides in the Goan waters.
However, according to tourism director N Suryanarayan, it
is difficult to act against the canoe operators since the
Merchant Shipping Act 1958 exempts registration of any ship
below 15 tonnes while the Captain of Ports of the state government
has no jurisdiction in the sea waters to act against them.
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar thus now plans to move amendment
to the Goa Tourists Act, making it mandatory to register all
such canoes or boats carrying tourists in the Goan waters
- river or the sea, in the ongoing Assembly session.
Besides registration, limit on number of passengers, insurance,
life jackets and provision for life guard would be a compulsion,
states Parrikar.
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