Whatever be the situations that caused the disaster, the ultimate reason for the disaster was overloading of the boat.
These types of temporary setup boats which caused the disaster are only allowed to carry a maximum of six people at a time according to chief inspector of boats. But the boat that made the mess carried over 50 passengers including students and teachers in it.
According to the rule, no boat will provide service at ‘Boothathankettu’ after 6 PM as it is not at all safe to cruise these waters after the sun fades. That’s because finding way through the weeds and overgrown grass will be difficult and mostly impossible. Disaster took place long after this deadline.
The reason behind this cold-blooded violation of laws is basically ‘the Money’. During the tourist season, thousands of tourists visit Thattekad Sanctuary making it a gold mine for the boat operators who try to earn the maximum at minimum time risking the lives of the passengers who trust them.
