DNA Edit: Permission tragedy – Mumbai boat mishap was avoidable

The death of a young man when the boat ferrying him to the Shivaji Memorial off the Mumbai coast capsized on Wednesday comes close on the heels of the Amritsar train tragedy. Although in Amritsar some 60-odd persons were killed on the tracks as against one in Mumbai, the two cases have similarities. Apart from the scant regard of event organisers for human lives, the more important similarity is that the organisers were irresponsible: they did not take the necessary permissions by way of clearances; and negligent about precautions. As a result, precious lives were lost. In the Amritsar tragedy, the Dussehra event was organised without the obligatory permissions; and, despite the organisers knowing that those coming for the occasion would spill over to the railway tracks, they did not take the precaution of informing the authorities. 

The Shivaji Memorial event organiser is guilty of even more lapses. First, the tide was not taken into account before they set out. Had the boat sailed at high tide, with the higher water level the boat may not have hit the rock and capsized. The Mumbai Port Trust had given clearance for three boats. However, when the number of those to be ferried swelled, the ill-fated fourth boat was pressed into service. This boat did not have the required clearances to sail. Nor did not have the mandatory safety gear, including life jackets. Its fitness certificate allowed 20 passengers, but it was overloaded with 24. 

To make matters worse, this was a government function and officials were involved. It is fortuitous that more lives were not lost – because rescue vessels at hand swung into action promptly. Yet all of this was avoidable. The tragedy could have been averted had the organisers taken the requisite permissions and higher officials verified those before proceeding.