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To Two country made boats capsized in the river Ganges on its way to NIT Ghat in Patna on Saturday evening. And twenty four innocent lives got a watery grave within minutes. It happens in a week time the grand celebration of 350th birth anniversary of Guru Govind Singh ended at this very place.
Proper planning and strategy gives a successful celebration with 3 lakhs Sikhs pilgrims at the heart of capital city, celebration of such grandeur which this city never witness. The administration and the state government won the accolades for the same. But in a week time the same administration drastically fails which won't either be forget or forgiven in days to come.
For the last couple of years the makarsakranti celebration has been marked with kite festival at Patna’s diyara(river bank on the other side of the city) that comes under the jurisdiction of Sonepur(Saran). After the incident took place it comes to know the Bihar tourism department had neither took permission nor informed the Sonepur(under Saran) administration about the celebration. "The tourism department has never consult nor seek permission, which was mandatory," said Madan Kumar, SDO, Sonepur to this
correspondent. On his statement an FIR has been lodged against Rahul Verma, owner of Entertainment park
and unknown boatmen &others under the various section of IPC 282/304/34 etc. Sonepur PS case no 12/17dt.14.1.27 clearly says the negligence.
Most distressing part of the entire episode is that the tourism dept. had no arrangements to ferry back people to ghats in the evening. About 300 people including women & children were left with no option. They left stranded on the sand dune waiting for steamers but in vain. This compelled people to take service of local boatmen who in lure of business overloaded their boasts. Boats which is used as vegetable carrier in normal days run illegally on diesel generators and hence very dangerous. These boats precariously overloaded to a crowd size of 70 which having a maximum capacity of 15-20. The administration, the NDRF & SDRF and even the state police was nowhere in the scene leading to this tragedy. Anyway, what has happened has put the city’s administration work-style & credibility once again.
