Bhubaneswar, August 5: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed displeasure over the continuous apathy of the Chief Secretary of Odisha in responding to Action Taken Report sought in connection with the boat capsize incident that took place on April 19, 2024 in Jharsuguda and to avoid such incidents of boat capsizes in future.
The commission has issued repeated notices seeking a response regarding the Action Taken Report in connection with the Jharsuguda boat mishap in which seven persons drowned when a boat carrying about 50 passengers capsized in the Mahanadi River.
The boat was overcrowded, operated without a valid license and did not have a fitness certificate issued by the concerned authorities causing the death of seven persons from Chhattisgarh.
“What astonishes the Commission is the non-responsiveness of the Government of Odisha through the Chief Secretary, who had failed to submit any report on record in this case despite explicit directions on 25.04.2024 and 26.06.2024,” observed the NHRC.
The NHRC made the observation while acting on a plea filed by lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy seeking the NHRC's intervention in the matter.
The commission in its order has also mentioned about not receiving any response from the chief secretary to a previous notice issued a few years ago.
Meanwhile, the commission has issued a fresh notice asking the Chief Secretary to apprise the NHRC of the action taken against the delinquent officials responsible for the failure to supervise and ban the operationalisation of the disputed unlawful and unfit ferry boat (“Maa Patharseni” OD 14 M 0581) in Jharsuguda district on April 19.
The Chief Secretary has been asked to submit his response within six weeks from the receipt of the fresh notice to avoid personal appearance.
