Cuttack, July 3: The state government failed to file a reply on safety measures taken on Puri beach, a 7km coastline.

Safety measures at the beach had come under judicial scrutiny after a PIL was filed in Orissa High Court, expressing concern over 38 deaths in the sea in the past three years.

The sprawling beach in Puri attracts tourists from India and abroad. The petition sought the court's direction to the state government to "do the needful for protection of the tourists, pilgrims and local people at Puri Sea beach".

Acting on the petition, the division bench of Chief Justice Vineet Saran and Justice K.R. Mohapatra asked the state government on June 23 to file a reply on July 3. The court had also issued notices to the principal secretary of the tourism department, district collector and district superintendent of police and the director general of fire services.

"But the state government failed to file a reply in the form of an affidavit today," said advocate Shivshankar Mohanty, the petitioner who was arguing his case in person.

Mohanty's petition said there had been 38 deaths at the beach since 2014, the last one on June 1 when a tourist drowned while bathing in the sea. It indicated that most of the tourists who died in the sea were from outside the state and a majority drowned while bathing.

Mohanty also contended that "lack of proper signage or warning boards at potentially dangerous points and lack of adequate supervision by trained life guards at the beach are major reasons for the drowning mishaps at the Puri beach".

"Safe and unsafe bathing zones are not clearly demarcated in Puri sea beach. Besides, increased supervision and tightening of security can check the accidents and drowning deaths," the petitioner said.

The petitioner, on May 14, submitted a representation to the principal secretary of the tourism department for safety measures for tourists at the beach.

The principal secretary had forwarded the representation to the Puri collector on May 19, directing him "to take adequate preventive measures immediately to check the accidents faced by the tourists at Puri Sea Beach" in view of rath yatra.

Mohanty's petition also alleged that the mishap in which a tourist from Madhya Pradesh drowned in the sea on June 1 "clearly shows the loopholes and security arrangements/provision by the local administration".

"There is a serious requirement of ambulance or a patrolling jeep with first aid facilities. Besides, police assistance booths on the beach and allotment of quick response team together is required for proper beach management," the petitioner said.

Mohanty said he expected the state government to deploy trained lifeguards with adequate number of equipment - walky-talkies, megaphones, rescue tubes and rescue boats, life bikes, high speed crafts and all-terrain bikes along with provision for immediate medical assistance.

The court has now posted the matter to July 10 for hearing along with the state government's reply.