Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. The boat capsizing accident in Raghopur, Bihar is extremely heart-wrenching. Parmarth Peethadhishwar, Swami Chidanand Saraswati Maharaj expressed his deep condolences and said that loss of life in any accident is extremely painful. Especially when news comes out that the lives of small children and families are in danger, the mind becomes distressed. Every life is precious and it is the collective responsibility of the society, administration and system to ensure the safety of every family.
Swamy said that in such a time of grief, the first priority should be to provide support to the affected families, provide timely proper medical treatment to the injured and make relief and rescue operations effective. It is not possible to compensate for the grief of the families who have lost their loved ones, but efforts to share their grief through sensitive cooperation, humanitarian assistance and constant companionship are extremely necessary.
He said that the causes of such incidents should be impartially investigated and if any negligence, ignoring safety standards or lapse in discharging responsibilities is found, then it is necessary to fix accountability as per rules and take necessary action, so that such accidents can be avoided. At the same time, it is also necessary to develop permanent and effective arrangements to prevent recurrence of such accidents in future.
Swami Chidanand Saraswati Maharaj said that rivers are an integral part of our culture, faith, livelihood and life of people. In many areas of the country, boats are the main means of transportation of people. Therefore, it is also our moral responsibility to make boat travel safe.
He suggested that the prescribed passenger capacity of each boat should be strictly followed. There should be an effective ban on seating more passengers than the capacity. Regular technical check of boats, verification of their condition, safe operation and permission for travel as per weather and river conditions should be ensured. There should be clear rules regarding boat operation in strong currents, bad weather or other risky conditions and following them should be made mandatory.
He said that it is extremely important to ensure availability of adequate and appropriately sized life jackets for every passenger on board the boat and their use. Boat drivers and operators should be involved in training for rescue in emergency situations. Along with this, trained rescue teams, first aid, necessary rescue equipment and emergency communication arrangements should be available on the ghats, so that immediate help can be provided in case of an accident.
Parmarth Niketan expressed its heartfelt condolences to all the families affected by this accident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. Also, urging the concerned administration to give priority to relief and rescue operations, provide necessary assistance to the affected families and investigate the causes of the accident and take concrete steps to prevent such incidents in future, he said that every life is precious, safety of every family is essential and after any accident, along with condolences, concrete improvement in the security system should also be our priority.