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Letters to the Editor: 28 January, 2020

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letters to the editor, afternoon voice,

Alappuzha houseboat accident

It was just a few days ago that in a shocking  tragedy eight tourists from Kerala died in a mountain resort in Nepal  due to asphyxiation caused from carbon monoxide leakage from a room heater. Now in a really shocking incident a house boat  in the backwaters of Alappuzha got on fire and sank but  timely intervention of the local boatsmen and people nearby a major tragedy was averted as all the tourists were rescued. Thirteen tourists from Kannur district, including a six-month-old baby, had a miraculous  escape from the houseboat that was engulfed in the fire near the popular tourism destination Pathiramanal in Kerala’s Alappuzha district.

As the accident happened in the shallow area of the backwaters around Pathiramanal the boat crew immediately took measures to see that all the tourists including women and children were rescued and they were put on a sandbar. The whole  house boat was gutted in the blaze. Even though some people jumped into the water they were rescued by a passenger boat.

This incident once again shows that life of tourists are not safe and those stakeholders including agents, department and concerned authorities don’t learn any lesson from tragedies. What they want is more and more income and in the long run tourist’s life are put at risk. Primary investigations point to short circuit being the cause of the fire. Here too like the Nepal tragedy carelessness, negligence and ignorance is the cause of such an accident. It’s really sad that those connected to tourism directly or indirectly turn irresponsible and put the life of people at risk.

House boats are a major attraction in the backwaters but whether these are maintained properly and whether proper inspections are done are questions that need answers and immediate attention. Just a few days ago another houseboat was completely gutted in a fire at Marthadam backwaters near Kuttanad. The tourists jumped out of the boat and saved their lives. Tourism is a sector that fetch good money but when the motto of those in this field and those connected to the department is only wooing the travellers for quick bucks forgetting all safety norms and regulations then our tourist destinations may turn into danger destinations killing innocent travellers.

M Pradyu

Bold words but well said Kangana Ranaut

Indira Jaising must be kept in jail with Nirbhaya’s convicts said actress Kangana Ranaut and that seems to be the anger of most citizens after the advocate had requested Nirbhaya’s mother to pardon the rapists and killers of her daughter. She even opined that all rapists are born from the womb of women like Indira Jaising which may be said out of anger and frustration at the ground realities in our country but the law of the land needs to be respected and so should the court sentence.

Sexual crimes would rise in the country if we start forgiving convicts sentenced in heinous crimes. Not sure in what context Indira Jaising made the controversial statement but advocates like her who are in the profession of proving the crime of criminals should not be advocating to free those sentenced for crime. The least Indira Jaising can do is to apologise to Nirbhaya’s mother for her controversial statement. Actress Kangana Ranaut is known for taking stands for the dignity of women and more power to her for enlightening issues that affect the fairer sex.

S.N.Kabra

Rajasthan emulates Kerala and Punjab

After the Kerala and Punjab Assemblies passed resolutions to build pressure on the Union government over the contentious citizenship law now Rajasthan government would introduce a resolution against the implementation of CAA in the Assembly session. l believe the present wave of largely peaceful protests that have gripped the country shall once again enable the further deepening of our democratic roots.

Mahmudul Hasan


(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

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