THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Waterborne vessels including houseboats will face touch consequences if found violating law or safety measures. The govt decision came about at a high-level meeting headed by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surndran on Monday. All boats plying without registration shall be confisticated, the meeting decided.
Registration is mandatory for all boats catering to tourists and to get around this rule, multiple boats operate under the same registration number, port officials said at the meeting. They also cited existence of several vessels that bear no registration plate at all.
Boats without registration shall be seized by port officials right away, the minister announced. CCTVs shall be deployed for safekeeping of seized vessels and 15 ex-servicemen shall be appointed for their security.
Boats shall compulsorily have bio-toilets fitted to prevent dumping sewage into water bodies. Also, toilet wastes will effectively processed by renovating Sewage Treatment Plant at Kurmarakom. Vessels without registration shall not be allowed to enter boat jetties under Tourism Department. Given their susceptibility to fire, instructions shall be issued for avoiding inflammable material in the kitchens of houseboats, the minister said. . Gas cylinders beyond permitted numbers shall not be allowed on the decks. Teams from the Air force shall conduct quality checks on safety equipments and systems onboard. License and uniform shall be made mandatory for boat employees. KITS shall facilitate training for boat crew in coordination with Department of Port, Food and Safety and Air Force.
Steps shall be taken for speedy acquisition of fire boats, in order to combat flames. Security on waters shall be tightened with help of registered boats operating lawfully. The Minister asked for ramping up frequency of flash inspections. GPS system shall be mandatory for all house boats. The Tourism Department shall consider iclassification system for boats, the minister said. Inspections shall be carried out ensuring there is no discomfort caused to tourists, he added.
Committees comprising Port, Tourism, Fire Force and Police officials shall be set up at district levels for the purpose of inspections. The meeting was attended by Tourism Secretary Rani George IAS, Tourism Director Balkiran IAS, KTDC MD Krishna Tej IAS and officials from Department of Ports, Police, Fire Force , Tourism, Food and Safety and Pollution Control Board.
