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Dhubri, Oct. 2: The boatmen and owners in Dhubri district are still flouting safety norms despite several notices issued by the administration and inland water transport (IWT) office.
The Dhubri zila parishad issued notices to the 105 gaon panchayats, which allot the ghats, in the nine blocks last week to get the boats registered within 45 days.
Safety measures, including registration of boats, were put in place after the Medattari boat capsize on April 30 in which more than 40 passengers died.
An official source in Dhubri said altogether 300 boat owners submitted papers with affidavit to Dhubri IWT for registration and of which only 65 were forwarded to the office of IWT director while the rest are being scrutinised.
Dhubri SDO (civil) R.C. Malakar, who heads the task force team formed after the Medattari incident, said the process of getting all the boats registered would be completed soon.
“A notice has already been issued by the Dhubri zila parishad to all the gaon panchayats for getting the boats registered,” he added.
An official source in Dhubri zila parishad said there were three major ghats under the IWT and six under gaon panchayats, from which altogether 18 ferryboats ply daily.
There are 105 small ghats under nine blocks in the district, which operate 105 engine-fitted boats (bhutbhutis).
But unofficially there more than 250 engine-fitted boats operating from these ghats and most them are not registered, a source said.
The source added there were more than 200 goods-carrying boats, mostly unregistered, ply from these ghats.
Sources in the ghats said though 300 owners of ferry and bhutbhuti had submitted affidavit to the Dhubri IWT but more than 500 such boats were regularly plying on the rivers.
Moreover, there are around 3,000 small boats (dinghy), which carry 10 passengers and small quantity of goods, are totally kept outside the purview of registration, the source added.
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