Death toll in boat tragedy reaches 30

Speed Post News Network

Patna : The death toll in January 14 boat tragedy near NIT ghat, Patna, in river Ganga increased to 3o on January 15,  2017, with the recovery of four more bodies from the river and death of five injured at Patna medical college hospital (PMCH) on the day.

The boat tragedy has proved the state government particularly Patna district administration has not taken any lesson from Chhath mishap at Patna in 2012 and Dussehra stampede at Patna Gandhi Maidan in 2014. The  government would have to answer to the people why it had not made arrangement for enough boats for the return journey of Kite festival participants from Sabalpur diara ( riverine belt) which technically falls in Saran district but is nearer to Patna. After all, it was the government which had invited people to participate in the Kite festival and arranged for their free journey. The boat, which capsized near NIT ghat, was  overcrowded. Why the administration did not stop the boat owner from carrying too many people.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was praised by PM Narendra Modi on January 5 for successful organisation of Prakash Utsav. Will Nitish Kumar now take responsibility for the boat tragedy? HAM (S) state president Brishen Patel has already demanded Nitish’s resignation on moral ground while senior BJP leader and former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi has urged the CM to cancel the proposed formation of Human Chain across the state on Januray 21 to create awareness about prohibition in the wake of boat tragedy. Rubbishing the state government attempt to hold the owner of Diseney fair responsible for tragedy, Modi claimed that the fair was yet to start. Aam Admi Party has demanded a judicial probe into the incident.