Opposition blames BMC for Powai lake tragedy

Mumbai: Following last week’s houseboat mishap where three persons died of drowning in Powai Lake, leader of opposition in BMC, Pravin Chheda, has blamed the civic body for not having data on the boat that ventured into the water without permission on Friday night. In a point of order introduced in the standing committee on Wednesday, Mr Chheda accused BMC of failing to monitor traffic in the lake, especially at night.

Speaking to The Asian Age, Mr Chheda said, “What is the point of registering private boats and their owners, if traffic in the lake is not monitored in the night. The owner of the boat and the operator did not have permission to ply it in the lake at odd hours. BMC should have a mechanism for monitoring which boats ply in the lake."

Mr Chheda said that boats can sail only in certain parts of the lake, that too never after dark. Houseboats are not allowed at all. The owner N. Mandal did not have the requisite permission from BMC to operate houseboats in the lake at night.

A houseboat with eight youth on board capsized in Powai Lake late night Friday after it collided with a bamboo stick in the water. Five of the eight boys were rescued but three bodies were recovered late on Saturday morning after extensive search operations. BMC approached the Powai police and got a FIR filed against the owner for illegally plying the boat in the lake.

Mr Chheda said, “What was the BMC doing? Why were there no security guards to ensure no one entered restricted areas in the night?” Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MP Kirit Somaiya visited the spot earlier this week and wrote to municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta to ban use of boats in the lake and take strict action against organisers of the houseboat liquor party.