Andaman & Nicobar: Committee to review safety standards of tourist vessels

Lt Gen AK Singh, the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands constituted a high level committeeon 27 January 2014. The Committee will be headed by the Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Shipping. The committee will review the safety standards of all tourist vessels that are being operated at different tourist spots of the island.

The vessels on the island would be permitted for operations only after they receive clearance by the Committee for their safety standards. Apart from the constitution of the committee, the Lt Governor of the island has also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the boat tragedy that claimed lives of 21 people including 13 women on 26 January 2014.

Ak Singh also announced an ex-gratia payment of one lakh rupees to each member of the bereaved families.

Background: A boat named Aqua Marine loaded with 43 tourists on board overturned between the Ross Island and North Bay near Port Blair in Andaman on 26 January 2014. Twenty-two persons drowned after the tourist boat capsized. Of the dead people 16 were from Kanchipuram District of Tamil Nadu, other three were from Maharashtra and one each from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.