Prayagraj: To ensure safety and security of pilgrims and visitors taking boat ride in the Ganga and Yamuna, the district authorities have made life jackets, fire extinguishers, rope, battery operated light arrangements, whistle and first-aid kit mandatory for all boats.Drafting a boat safety strategy and boatmen welfare policy, the district authorities have focused on fool-proof boat operations in Prayagraj.The authorities have also planned a ‘District Water Transport Management, Safety, and Advisory Committee’ in the sangam city under the state government’s Boat Safety and Boatman Welfare Policy for the socio-economic upliftment of boatmen. The district magistrate will serve as the chairperson of this committee.The primary objective of the committee is to strengthen safety measures for boats operations, prevent boat accidents, manage disasters, and effectively implement welfare schemes for boatmen and divers. The committee comprises officials from the police, health, transport, irrigation, district panchayat, urban development, tourism, fire services, and revenue departments, alongside a representative from the boatman and fishing community.A senior official said that boatmen and their families would be economically empowered by linking them to various government schemes and that they would receive the benefits of all assistance standards prescribed by the government for boatmen.The official also emphasized that the enrolment of all boats in the committee is mandatory for safety purposes. He noted that the formation of this committee would make boat operations safer and improve the standard of living for the boatman community.He said that every boat must display the boatman’s identity and mandated the availability of safety kits on every boat-including life jackets, fire extinguishers, ropes, oars, battery-operated lighting systems, whistles, and first-aid supplies. He instructed boatmen to raise awareness among passengers and provide them with essential information regarding water safety.The head of the boatmen’s committee has requested the authorities to ensure construction of toilets and changing rooms near the ghats on which the authorities have issued necessary instructions.
