Bihar boat tragedy: Govt acts against officers for negligence
A two-member inquiry team had pointed to lack of planning and poor crowd management on the part of the tourism department and some officials of the Patna as well as Saran district administration.
A month after the boat tragedy near Patna, the Bihar government has transferred tourism department principal secretary Harjot Kaur Bamhrah and director Umashankar Prasad.
It also ordered suspension of Mohammad Ali Ansari, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Sonepur in Saran district, and institution of departmental proceedings against him on the charges of dereliction of duty.
Rajesh Chaudhary, who is at present additional collector (law and order), Patna, too has been shifted and asked to wait for his next posting.
The action followed submission of report on the boat tragedy by a two-member inquiry team of disaster management department principal secretary Pratyaya Amrit and central range (Patna) deputy inspector general Shalin. The probe report had pointed to lack of planning and poor crowd management on the part of the tourism department and some officials of the Patna as well as Saran district administration.
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At least 23 persons had drowned when the boat in which they were returning to Patna capsized in Ganga on January 14. They had gone to Sabalpaur diara in Saran district across the river to attend a kite festival on the Makar Sankranti day.
The inquiry report said the tragedy could have been avoided had the tourism department made arrangements for adequate number of boats and divers for the festival. Officials of Patna and Saran deputed in the diara could also have acted sensibly in exercising vigil and maintaining law and order, it said.
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In a notification issued by the general administrative department on Friday, which happened to be a holiday on account of Mahashivratri festival, Kaur was shifted to mines and geology department. She will also hold the additional charge of managing director, mines development corporation.
Pankaj Kumar, secretary to food and consumer production department, has been given additional charge of tourism.
Meanwhile, Ansuiya Ransingh Sahu, SP, weaker section, CID, has been made the new SP of Saran. She will replace Pankaj Raj, who has been asked to wait for his posting. .