The floating marina on which the State Government had held a cabinet meeting last year on the Tehri dam reservoir sank partially on Tuesday. The incident has elicited focus on the seriousness with which the authorities are working on their claims of encouraging tourism in the Tehri lake. On Tuesday, the vessel tilted and got partially submerged in the reservoir’s waters. It is also possible that the vessel had developed a leak.
According to official sources, efforts were initiated to retrieve the vessel. The cause of the vessel’s partial submergence in the water are being looked into. Observers point out that this incident has elicited focus on the difference between governmental claims and ground reality when it comes to efforts being made to boost tourism in locations including the Tehri dam reservoir.
It will be recalled that soon after the cabinet meeting was held in May last year in the dam reservoir, The Pioneer had reported that as per information revealed under the Right To Information Act, the state government’s action was actually in violation of the Inland Vessels Act and the 2017 office order of the Director General of Shipping, Government of India.
According to the law, the floating marina on which the meeting was held cannot be operated until it is registered with an authority. However, the floating marina, barge and ferry boat on the lake were neither registered nor insured.
This information was procured by former marine surveyor Vipul Dhasmana who was also the authorised boat surveyor of the Tehri district Panchayat under the RTI Act.