VIBHA VERMA
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Recently a youth put to risk his life, and that of his fellow passengers on the Panjim-Betim ferry boat, when his two-wheeler partially fell into the River Mandovi. According to an inquiry conducted by the River and Navigation Department (RND), the youngster had started the two-wheeler even before the ferry boat could properly dock at the wharf, resulting in the mishap.
“The rider, probably by mistake accelerated the bike after starting the engine, resulting in the incident. Fortunately, the boat was just near the wharf and as such, the bike did not capsize and neither were there any casualties. Two of our staffers, including the sailor, fished the bike out of the waters,” a senior officer said.
This is not an isolated incident, it is only the most recent. There have been others when commuters, particularly tourists, ignore safety norms by taking selfies on the ferries and even dip their feet in the water just as the boat begins to leaving the dock.
Safety of passengers using the ferry service has been a concern. But when commuters themselves neglect their safety, it escalates the problem for the authorities. However, an official asserted that the staff ensures passengers do not sit or stand on the ramp.
“The crew warns the commuters if they find that their acts aboard the ferry boat could be risky. But tourists in particular ignore the warnings. We then raise our pitch asking them to stay away from the edge of the vessels,” another official said, quoting complaints by several coxswains.
The government, sources said, is now contemplating putting up signs on ferry boats warning tourists from indulging in risky behaviour. “There are people who fail to heed our warnings, which is why we might put up signanges for mandatory implementation by passengers,” he added.
RND claims it has handled the problem of overloading with instructions issued to the crew that the carrying capacity should not exceed 10 tons or 100 passengers. At times, the coxswain is helpless when extra passengers on board refuse to exit.
“The ferry rides are free (except for four-wheelers). There is a rush during peak hours and especially at lunch time,” he said adding, “We have given clear instructions to coxswains not to start the vessel if it is overloaded but many commuters do not listen to our requests.”
Another problem is of passengers waiting at the access ramp to enter the ferry and jump aboard even before it docks. At the same time there are passengers alighting from the boat, which causes a confusion. “This problem is beyond our control. We have tried several times to tell passengers on and off the boat to give each other enough time and space to alight and board. No one listens to us,” a coxswain on the Ribandar-Chorao route told Herald.
