Stating the challenges and calls for of ferry service operators on the Gateway of India, Sardar Mirza Jamaluddin Mahadkar, president of the Gateway Elephanta Jal Vahatuk Sahakari Sanstha (Boat Working Affiliation), discusses with SWEETY ADIMULAM the necessity for presidency assist within the type of interest-free loans to modernise their fleet and gasoline subsidy to scale back operational prices. He additionally highlights their issues about dangers posed by speedboats to ferry boats on the Gateway of India harbour.
What are your ideas on the latest accident brought on by the collision of a speedboat with a picket ferry?
In my 50 years of expertise with the boat working affiliation, I’ve by no means witnessed such a catastrophe. The fast response from everybody — fishermen, the navy personnel and others — helped save lives. Sadly, 15 lives had been misplaced, which is heartbreaking.
The accident occurred as a result of a speedboat collided with the passenger ferry. Picket boats are weak in such conditions. This has made us realise the pressing want for modernising our fleet. We now have been looking for authorities help to buy fashionable vessels similar to catamarans, that are safer however costly. The affiliation’s shareholders are pooling assets to amass these vessels by means of loans.
Nonetheless, we’re urging the federal government to supply interest-free loans, provided that water route ticket costs are comparatively low and don’t generate sufficient income to cowl such excessive prices.
What security measures are being applied, particularly concerning picket boat security?
The boat concerned within the accident was outfitted with life jackets and rafts, as per security norms. Nonetheless, a recurring difficulty is that passengers typically select to not put on the life jackets offered. To deal with this, sporting life jackets has now been made necessary, and we’re actively guaranteeing compliance.
Moreover, we’re introducing audio and video security bulletins on board to coach passengers concerning the significance of sporting life jackets. With over 100 passenger ferry boats in operation, upgrading the system throughout the fleet will take a while. Nonetheless, we’re dedicated to rolling out these security messages by subsequent 12 months to boost consciousness and compliance.
What makes it difficult to improve all boats to fashionable vessels?
Fashionable boats similar to catamarans are extraordinarily costly, costing crores of rupees. The present roundtrip ticket is Rs 190 for Elephanta and Rs 170 for Mandwa. Recovering the price of a contemporary boat by means of such fares takes a considerably very long time. Moreover, the income generated from journeys is shared among the many members of the Jal Vahatuk Affiliation.
If one boat carries 30 passengers and one other 50 passengers, the full earnings from that journey are distributed, making it tougher for particular person operators to put money into pricey upgrades.
We now have additionally been requesting diesel subsidies from the federal government for a very long time. Such assist would considerably scale back operational prices and make the transition to fashionable vessels extra possible.
Has the affiliation raised issues concerning the rising congestion on the Gateway of India?
We now have raised it a number of occasions with the authorities, significantly concerning the issuance of recent licences. The area on the Gateway of India is proscribed, which is a major constraint. Moreover, many speedboats registered for personal use are being operated commercially, with fares round Rs 500 per journey. We now have questioned how these operators set their fares, as ferry boat operators are topic to a government-imposed charge chart, however there isn’t a such regulation for speedboats.
One other concern is that speedboats function from Jetty No. 4 on the Gateway of India and often move by means of areas utilized by passenger ferries. The excessive pace of those boats creates turbulence, affecting the steadiness of different vessels. Whereas day by day commuters could also be accustomed to this, it poses a better threat to vacationers and first-time travellers.
In truth, earlier than the accident at Gateway of India, we had written to the authorities over the speedboat difficulty. Now they’ve given an assurance to look into it on precedence.
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