Boat operators come head to head in Chilika, 400 passengers stranded 

By Express News Service

BERHAMPUR: Over 400 passengers onboard over 20 boats have been stranded in Chilika Lake for over 45 minutes following a dispute between boat operators of Satapada and Janhikuda on Saturday. They reached the shore solely after intervention of the native administration. 

Sources mentioned, boat operators of Satapada and Janhikuda have been sparring over carrying return passengers. The challenge erupted once more on Saturday after some boats from Janhikuda ferried passengers to Satapada after which tried to hold the return passengers which was opposed by Satapada boat operators. 

Though the Janhikuda boats returned with out passengers, the operators apparently waited to settle scores with their opponents. At round 5 pm within the night, when over 20 boats from Satapada sailed with passengers for Janhikuda, the boat operators there didn’t permit the vessels to succeed in the jetty.

As the details about stranded passengers unfold, Krushnaprasad administration and police reached the jetty and resolved the problem amicably. Both the teams agreed solely to drop passengers and return with out them to respective beginning factors.

As Janhikuda-Satapada waterway passing via Chilika is the one time-saving and simply out there route from south Odisha and Krushnaprasad block to Puri, a whole lot of travelling to the pilgrim city choose this path to keep away from a 200 km-long street journey.

Ironically, regardless of frequent stuck-ups together with mishap in Chilika, overcrowding of boats in violation of security norms are a standard sight within the lake. One of the stranded passengers Jyoti Prasad Chhotray, a senior advocate, mentioned,”Hazardous boat rides typically put peoples’ lives in peril. This holds specifically true for boat providers from Chilika to Puri the place vessels function past their permitted capability placing passengers’ lives in danger.”

Krushnaprasad IIC Dillip Kumar Swain mentioned the boats reached the shore and passengers alighted after the dispute was settled. To take part within the ongoing yatra at Krushnaprasad, locals in close by areas choose boats that are working for over 12 hours on a regular basis since final couple of days, he mentioned. Last month, two vessels acquired stranded in Chilika lake twice attributable to snags and over 60 passengers had a harrowing expertise.