Guwahati boat tragedy: Himanta Biswa Sarma says two killed, two missing

Guwahati (Assam), September 6, 2018:

Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said two – not three – people were killed in Wednesday’s mechanized boat mishap in the Brahmaputra in Guwahati. He also said that as per missing reports received, two others were missing.

“So far, the bodies of only two persons were recovered. And as per reports received, two people are missing. If some more people are missing, their families can contact the district administration. I feel the reports of number of people aboard the boat yesterday were on the higher side,” Sarma said after visiting the houses of two girls who lost their lives.

He said it was unfortunate that the boat had developed technical snag midway and it hit the concrete structure leading to the tragedy.

He said personnel of Army, National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force were engaged in the search and rescue operations. The Indian Navy team (which was pressed into service in Dikhow river to search for a missing car and its five occupants) will soon reach Guwahati and join the search operations.

Asked about the fate of mechanized boats whose services have been suspended, the Minister said the government would discuss with the locals of North Guwahati and government officials on whether or not to ply such boats.

“Earlier, we had stopped the mechanized boat service but it was resumed on the demand of commuters. Since transportation is a necessity, I feel safety issues were compromised somewhere. We will think of plying more ships. We will arrange as many ships as required. Three ships are ready. By next week, we will be able to run them. We will take all measures to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies in the future for the safety of people,” Sarma said.

He disclosed that in the next six months, construction work for the Guwahati-North Guwahati road bridge would start and it would be completed by 2022. “For the bridge to be constructed, land acquisition is needed. The cost will be Rs.250 crore,” he said.