Jabalpur: Taking a strict view of the Bargi Dam cruise tragedy in which 13 people died, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed that cruise services and boating club operations across the state remain suspended during the ongoing judicial inquiry into the incident.
The direction came during the hearing of Public Interest Litigations, including the main petition filed by social worker Pushpa Tiwari, before a Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf.
During the hearing, the Madhya Pradesh government submitted its response to the court and informed the court that a judicial inquiry committee headed by retired High Court judge Justice Sanjay Dwivedi has been constituted to investigate the April 30 accident at Bargi Dam near Jabalpur.
The government told the court that the committee has started examining the sequence of events leading to the tragedy and will submit its report within three months.
It also informed the Bench that cruise services and boating club activities across the state have been suspended for the time being.
The High Court directed the inquiry panel to conduct a comprehensive probe into all aspects of the incident, including whether safety norms and operational standards were violated during the cruise.
The court also observed that any citizen willing to provide information or suggestions related to the tragedy may present their views before the inquiry committee.
Advocate Gopesh Yash Tiwari, appearing for petitioner and social worker Pushpa Tiwari, told the media that the petitions were filed to ensure an immediate and impartial investigation into the incident.
“The state government has filed its response before the court, stating that a judicial committee has been constituted and that the committee will submit its inquiry report within three months. Following this, the court directed the committee to conduct a comprehensive inquiry covering all relevant aspects. Meanwhile, the court has imposed a ban on boating activities in all boating clubs across Madhya Pradesh for the duration of the ongoing inquiry,” Tiwari said.
The tragedy took place on April 30 when a cruise vessel operating in the Bargi Dam reservoir capsized after being hit by a storm.
Thirteen tourists, including eight women, four children, and one man, lost their lives in the incident, while 28 others were rescued after a prolonged operation.
(IANS)
