Havelock Cargo Dinghies- Death Traps Mishaps happen, people perish, condolences offered, inquiries ordered and the issues stay put as it has always been. Before the funeral pyres of the tragic victims of these tragedies lit off, the illegal activities and death enticing endeavours go unabated. A few days back, a cargo dinghy reportedly packed with more than 5 tonnes of cargo and two persons on board went missing between Port Blair and Havelock. This has not deterred or ceased the cargo operation of the dinghies. Death on sea due to toppling of cargo dinghies are not very uncommon between Port Blair and Havelock. Most of them are motorized country boats, which carries the cargo to Havelock. Dinghies do not comply with the safety guidelines or come under any Act, they are registered as fishing dinghies by Fisheries Dept. Even the top honchos at Fisheries Dept know it’s illegal and the Dinghies with fishing license are not supposed to carry cargo, and if they do, their licenses are to be cancelled. DSS vessels are taking cargo, and those who want to avail the service needs to make the booking two-days in advance so that proper arrangements can be made, but people are reluctant to avail the service due to the uncertainty involved of the Govt. run service and nature of commodities to be ferried being perishable is line pursued by resort owners and traders. There are practical difficulties with the govt run service as most of the DSS ships leave early in the morning, and the cargo cannot be loaded in the evening due to its perishable nature. Residents joke that the DSS vessels which operate bi-monthly only ferries wastes like empty liquor bottles of ANIIDCO for scrap dealers. Resorts owners do not rely on chartered cargo vessels, which take its own time to sail and most of the perishable food items by the time it reaches Havelock go waste. Locals never had any problems before the advent of tourism in the islands and were quite content with what was on offer for their daily needs. With Havelock attaining a cult status among tourists, the island’s daily needs have grown astronomically. From construction materials, fuel, food and other items demand is more than supply. Though Havelock is hardly 60 kms or 2 hours from Port Blair, it still appears to be landlocked and deprived of basic infrastructure and amenities. In order to meet its requirements and maximize profits by the traders and resort owners, unlawful means are explored to the hilt. The local police and other authorities are mere onlookers. The dinghies would always be the most convenient of options for the traders. Even the most elite, high end and responsible resort owners opt for their services. Pick up point is near the Cremation/Burning Ghat at Junglighat. Loading takes place in open view of all at broad daylight. Sailing timings are convenient too, with an eye on tides. The dinghies reach Havelock appropriately at an ideal time and tide so that cargo can be unloaded at the beach close to the main jetty. The local authorities have no issues with such blatant and open flouting of rules. Explosives and highly inflammable materials like LPG cylinders, petrol and diesel are ferried in these dinghies. Under what laws are these articles permitted and goes unchecked is anybody’s guess. Big buses/trucks are ferried on illegal pontoons tugged by these country boats. Building materials like steel, cement, timber are also ferried. The private players at Havelock mostly resort owners and traders are hands in glove with these dinghy operators and at times are ghost owners most of these fishing dinghies. Fishermen fall into these traps and the lure of money makes them risk their lives and change profession. Even after innumerable incidents the forays of these dinghies with cargo go on unchecked and the Administration is pondering over its commission of inquiries. The big business houses that have stakes in the tourism industry of Havelock have enough clout with top politicians and bureaucrats and hence keep calling all the shots. The daily earning innocent sailor who sail theses dinghies pay with their lives just being a pawn in the hands of the market forces that are never brought to book. After every mishap the big sharks are the first ones to issue politically correct statements taking high moral grounds that these illegal activities are to stop. This mafia very well knows that to fuel their own greed they will keep on putting the lives of the poor at risk. Unless the Administration acts tough on these big players and make them accountable for all these illegalities, lives will be lost. The DSS services are ignored by them on purpose with whimsical reasons; hence with low demand and uncertainty their routines are put off track.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 07:09:34 +0000