KARACHI: Recommendations for Keenjhar lake finalized
KARACHI, Sept 23: The committee of provincial tourism and culture department, which was formed to suggest steps for preventing recurrence of tragic incidents at Keenjhar lake, finalized its recommendations on Tuesday.
The recommendations, including verification of specifications of the boats and suspending their operation till the end of the process, would be submitted to Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Sind Chief Minister Ali Muhammad Mahar for approval.
The said committee was constituted on the directive of the governor after the capsizing of boat in Keenjhar lake that killed 26 persons on June 1, 2002.
The committee met here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Secretary Culture and Tourism Gul Muhammad Umrani. Managing Director Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, Brig Asif Ghazali; Additional IGP Hyderabad, G.M. Malkani; Managing Director STDC, Muhammad Ibrahim Soomro; Representative of Additional Chief Secretary, Local Government, Masud Sher Khuwaja; Executive Engineer, K.B. Division, Thatta, Muhammad Ali Shaikh; and others attended the meeting.
The participants of the meeting was informed that a total of 40 boats, all made of fibreglass having capacity of eight seats, are registered with the Sindh Tourism Development Corporation (STDC). These were not passenger boats and could only be used for sporting.
In his detailed presentation, Masud Sher Khuwaja revealed that in addition to the eight seats in each boat, two wooden planks were fitted to accommodate 12 persons that used to overload the boat.
The committee decided that immediate action would be taken for removing such wooden planks. The committee also recommended construction of a jetty (fixed or floating wooden, as per conditions at the lake), erecting a platform and deploying guards hired from private security companies to ensure that picnickers should wear life jackets before boarding a boat and also that boats were not overloaded.
Besides, the STDC would acquire more divers to work as lifeguards at the lake. It was informed that there were two divers of STDC and two others of police at present at the lake. The divers would be in uniform in future while strict supervision and monitoring would be maintained to ensure that the boats carrying passengers must not go beyond 300 meters and to the rough waters.
He said that a full-fledged dispensary had been set up at the lake. He further said that only one ambulance was available at the lake on holidays.
Mr Masud also recommended for provision of floating device on each boat, construction of three watch towers, installation of floats, navigation lights and hooters, placing the buoys to restrict boats beyond the limits etc.
However, he opposed total privatization of the lake and suggested public-private partnership owing to security purpose.
Brig Asif Ghazali was of the view that tourism should not be promoted at the Keenjhar lake, as it was a reservoir for supplying water to Karachi.—PPI
