Life jackets a must for boating at Keenjhar Lake, SHC told

No person, including crew members, shall be allowed to get into boats at the Keenjhar Lake without wearing life jackets, the lake incharge told the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday.

Hearing a petition against lack of safety arrangements at the lake due to which ten picnickers had drowned, a division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar inquired the lake incharge about the safety measures for the picnickers.

Keenjhar Lake Incharge Gulzar Ahmed submitted that as many as 60 boats had been registered, and three jetties and one watchtower built while another watch tower was under construction. He informed the high court that ticket counters had been established at the lake while 36 close-circuit cameras had also been installed at the picnickers’ point and they were functional now.

Ahmed said life jackets were available at every ticket counter and strict arrangements had been made to ensure that no person could get into boats without wearing a life jacket. He added that a rescue centre had also been established with all the necessary equipment and an ambulance, and police also deployed for safety and security of the picnickers.

He said the administration would also obtain indemnity bound from all the boat owners and they would have to submit that they would bear the responsibility in case a mishap or accident occurred due to their negligence or fault.

The high court observed that several steps had been taken to compliance with the court orders. The bench also directed the Thatta deputy commissioner and Thatta SSP to ensure compliance with the court orders with regard to the safety measures and adjourned the hearing till April 14.

The SHC had earlier ordered that no boating at the Keenjhar Lake would be allowed before the registration and completion of all the safety measures. Petitioner Nadeem Sheikh had submitted in the petition that 10 persons, including women and children, had drowned when a boat carrying picnickers capsized on August 17, 2020, at the Keenjhar Lake. He had said that the high court had earlier ordered the administration to adopt safety measures at the lake and the province’s coastal areas but no steps were taken to improve the safety and rescue mechanisms.