The death toll in Sunday’s Ranchi lake accident has risen to four on Monday as one Puja Singh Banerjee of Kokar, who was admitted in the Orchid hospital died at 9:30 am on Monday. Two people are still critical, while more than six victims are said to be out of danger, according to the sources.
The grim incident of Sunday at the Ranchi lake has revealed the lack of safety measures for boating at the place. The incident has triggered a debate among people about the safety measures taken for boating at different lakes in the city. City denizens feel that there is lot more at stake in the Ranchi lake.
The Ranchi lake which has an average depth of around 20 to 25 meters is here since the time of the British Occupation of India. Now the lake is under Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC). It is one of the picturesque sites in Ranchi. The boating facility which started between the years 1992-1993 has since then attracted people to enjoy the water ride. “Just ensuring the boating safety will not be enough to render the lake invulnerable to life hazards. There is no fencing around the lake. The open lake is a threat and opens the gate for many fatal incidents,” said a local resident.
Another person living near the lake said, “The accidents at the Ranchi lake can be avoided if the authorities will consider the safety issue seriously and deploy personnel to look after the lake.”
“There is no security personnel employed at the lake. If the authorities take up the safety issues at the Ranchi lake seriously many similar accidents can be avoided. I have been taking care of the Nigam Park from the last 12 years, since then I have only seen the degradation of the lake. There is no proper maintenance of the lake,” mentioned Mohammed Ashiqur alias Kala Baba, who takes care of the Nigam Park at the Ranchi lake. Mohammed pointed that apart from human life, aquatic life also suffers due to the carelessness of the authorities over Ranchi lake.
“The sewage pipes empty their effluents in the lake. Earlier there were seven kinds of fish found in the lake. Now only few fishes are left in the lake. The pollution in the lake is affecting the population of the fishes,” he said.
Deepak, a resident near this lake area said, “This is the first drowning incident that happened in the motor boat. Earlier there were only paddle boats. Till now there have been four similar cases. The safety and security measures at the lake were never taken cared about .The lake is also a suicide spot for the depressed people. Sometimes, the drunkards also get drowned in the lake.”