File picture of Hirakud residents rescuing children from the capsized boat in Sambalpur

Bhubaneswar, April 29: The administrative inquiry report on the Hirakud boat tragedy of February 9 in Sambalpur was submitted to the state government today. However, the details of the findings were not made public.

Revenue divisional commissioner (northern division) P.K. Meherda, who was entrusted with the task of investigating into the boat tragedy that claimed 31 lives, submitted the probe report to home secretary Vipin Saxena today.

The government had asked the revenue divisional commissioner to find out the reasons for the tragedy and the person(s) responsible for it and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future.

In his 22-page report, the revenue divisional commissioner has reportedly focused on these three points — causes of the mishap, persons responsible and steps to prevent such incidents in future.

The boat, carrying about 135 persons, had capsized in Hirakud reservoir on February 9 on its way back from an island.

While more than 100 persons aboard the boat had been rescued, 31 persons, including 12 men and 19 women, drowned to death. Most of the deceased were members of a picnic party organised by Lions Club of Sambalpur at Marangdunguri in Hirakud reservoir.

The tragic incident had hit national headlines, given the large number of death toll.

Apart from ordering an administrative inquiry into the tragedy, the state government had arrested the owner of the boat, Satyanarayan Pandey, along with two boatmen and the president of Lions Club Sambalpur branch Ramesh Kumar Agrawal, in connection with the incident.