As many as 69 persons have died in a total of boat mishaps occurred at different places in the State during the last five years. Transport Minister Padmanabaha Behera informed this in the State Assembly in response to a question of BJD MLA Devi Ranjan Tripathy on Thursday.
The Minister said the Government has taken various measures to lessen the boat mishaps. Engineers of different districts have been trained by the Ports and Waterways Transport Directorate. Surveyors have been deployed to check fitness of boats ferrying at different river ghats. Jetty and passenger waiting rooms have been constructed at different places in five districts, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Khordha and Puri, the Minister informed.