• Source:JND
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Jabalpur Boat Incident: The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation's negligence has been exposed in the Bargi cruise tragedy, in which 9 people have lost their lives. A cruise ship, carrying 42 tourists, capsized at Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur on Thursday.

Despite a weather alert, the crew members continued operating the boat. Initial investigations have revealed that water sports personnel did not receive the alert and only assessed the weather based on waves and experience.

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Officials claim that weather conditions are monitored on mobile phones, while several tourists who survived the accident reported that they pressured the cruise to return due to the bad weather and strong winds, but the staff ignored the plea. A strong tornado engulfed the cruise, officials claimed.

Strict Action Has Been Taken: CM Mohan Yadav

Reacting to the incident, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said strict action has been taken against the guilty for negligence.

"In the tragic cruise accident at the Bargi Reservoir in Jabalpur, strict action has been taken against the guilty for negligence. The services of cruise pilot Mahesh Patel, cruise helper Chhotelal Gond, and ticket counter in-charge (FOA) Brijendra have been terminated with immediate effect," the chief minister said in an X post.

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"Hotel McL Resort and Boat Club Bargi manager Sunil Marawi has been suspended for negligence in duty, while regional manager Sanjay Malhotra has been attached to headquarters and a departmental inquiry has been initiated against him. The guilty will not be spared under any circumstances. Expressing condolences to the victims, the government is committed to providing all possible assistance," he added.

Just Two Staff For 42 Tourists

The ill-fated Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation cruise departed from Mekal Resort on Thursda evening with tourists, but gross negligence in safety arrangements was evident. The most significant lapse was that passengers were not wearing life jackets. According to regulations, every tourist must be briefed on safety precautions and provided with life jackets before embarking. While it is being claimed that life jackets and lifesaving equipment were available on the cruise, they were not provided to the passengers.

Videos circulating on the internet also showed most of the tourists without life jackets. During the accident, passengers who wore life jackets were able to save their lives.

ALSO READ: Jabalpur Boat Tragedy: Footage Captures Cruise Capsizing At Bargi Dam, Death Toll Rises To Nine | VIDEO

Furthermore, regulations require one lifesaver for every 10-15 tourists, but this was not followed here. Besides Captain Mahesh, only one employee, Chhotu, was present on the cruise. This means there were only two staff members for 42 tourists, which was insufficient.

What Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation Official Said

Rajendra Nigam, Water Sports Advisor at the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation, responded to allegations of negligence by stating that the cruise was 20 years old, but it was completely safe and environmentally friendly. He explained that this cruise, operated by the FRP company, has a lifespan of up to 50 years.

Regarding life jackets, he stated that the cruise had 80 life jackets. However, he also noted that tourists typically don't wear life jackets while travelling on cruise ships or larger ships, but only use them when necessary. Regarding the weather, he said that sometimes the weather suddenly turns bad, and this time too, the same situation occurred. According to him, the staff checks weather information on their mobile phones and makes decisions based on that.

He explained that the cruise captain had 10 years of experience and was trained by the National Institute of Water Sports. The support staff was also trained.

Tornado Struck Boat

Nigam stated that there were three staff members on the cruise, but one remained on the jetty (where the cruise is docked). He also reported that a sudden tornado struck, trapping the cruise ship. Winds were 50-60 kilometres per hour, while cruise ships can normally withstand winds of up to 30 kilometers per hour.
(With Naidunia Inputs)


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