File picture of the boat service in the Koel river in Rourkela and (right) the new vessels for tourists visiting Bhitarkanika. Telegraph picture

Rourkela, July 31: Kuanrmunda resident Oram Hansdah used to come to Rourkela boarding a boat from Baikunthghat at Sector VI and crossing the Koel river. But since last Tuesday, he has been facing difficulties in coming to Steel City after the boat service was stopped.

“I used to go to work by crossing the river. Now, I have to travel a longer distance of around 20km to come to the city via Tikerkela bridge,” said Hansdah.

Similar is the case with Class VIII student Sutapa Hota, who studies in a Rourkela school.

School students used to ferry through the water body to attend schools in the city. However, for the past one week, many of them have stopped going to schools.

“We used to go to school in Rourkela, crossing this river, as we do not have schools in our area. But now, as the boat service has been withheld, we have to stop going to school,” said Sutapa.

The district administration has banned boat services in the Koel, citing lack of precautionary measures. The decision that was taken last week is causing inconvenience to a large number of people, who depend on the waterway to get to the other side.

The administration, however, has assured the people of restoration of the service only after necessary safety measures were ensured.

The river separates Rourkela from Kuanrmunda, Bishra block, Nuagaon and many other small towns of Sundargarh district. Everyday thousands of residents on both sides of this river used to cross it by the country-made boats. People allege that while the bridge is about 20km away, another bridge has been under construction for the past several years. The boatmen said that though they had valid licence with them, the district administration recently told them to keep safety equipment in their boats. “Till then, we cannot ferry our boats,” said a boatman.

Shyama Bhakta Mishra, sub-collector of Panposh subdivision, said that after the Hirakud dam mishap in February, they had been instructed to ensure the safety measures taken by the boat operators.

There have been licensed boats operating in the river at five spots and all the services have been suspended.

“We have instructed them to keep the safety equipment and take all precautions. As they cited that life jackets are costly for them to afford, we will provide them the jackets from the panchayat funds. The block development officers have been asked to make arrangements. We are hopeful of the services to be started sooner,” said Mishra.