Guwahati, July 13: Bhupen Borah, President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), has urged the state government to enforce strict regulations for boat transportation throughout Assam.
This plea follows a tragic incident in Goalpara on Thursday, where an overloaded country boat capsized, resulting in the loss of five lives. Borah stressed the necessity of comprehensive safety measures for all vessels to avert future tragedies.
Borah, along with a team of Congress MLAs, visited the families of the five victims of the boat tragedy at Simlitola in the Rangjuli revenue circle of Goalpara district. This visit occurred a day after the Assam Chief Minister’s visit, during which he announced an ex-gratia payment of 4 lakh rupees each to the victims’ next of kin.
The APCC team, led by Borah, expressed their condolences and financially assisted the bereaved families. During media interactions, Borah reiterated the need for boat regulations, stating, “If there are rules and regulations for motor vehicles, there should also be regulations for boats, especially since boat accidents frequently occur in Assam.” He emphasized that just as strict laws exist for driving motor vehicles, similar stringent laws should be applied to boat operations.
Borah also noted that after the Majuli boat capsized incident, the state government mandated life jackets on all ships but did not establish comprehensive regulations. “I am also requesting all MLAs to discuss the matter of employment for the victims’ family members with the Assam Chief Minister,” he added.
Several MLAs accompanied Borah, including Wajed Ali Choudhury, Rekibuddin Ahmed, Nandita Das, Jadob Swargiyari, A.K. Rashid Mandal, and Pradip Sarkar, along with numerous other APCC members, in visiting the victims’ families.
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