Wearing life jackets mandatory in Chilika Lake: Minister
Bhubaneswar, June 23: The Odisha government on Saturday decided to make the wearing of life jackets mandatory and install GPS in boats operating in the Chilika lake, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon.
The state government took the decision after a boat capsized last week, claiming six lives.
"Wearing of life jackets by the boat passengers will be made mandatory and GPS will also be installed in the boats. The inquiry report submitted by the Directorate of Ports and Inland Water Transport has also proposed so," informed Odisha Commerce and Transport Minister Nrusingha Charan Sahu.
District collectors have been directed to appoint surveyors to ensure the provision of lifebuoys, life jackets and fire extinguishers for boats, said Sahu.
Informing on the boat capsize incident, the Minister said though the boatman was provided with lifebuoys, 20 life jackets, they were not used during the mishap.
"As we had provided an adequate number of life jackets and lifebuoys to every boat, probe into the tragedy has found that the passengers didn't use the life jackets even though they were available," said Sahu.
Reviewing the management and safety measures in boats, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said life jackets will be made mandatory for persons travelling in boats while all boats operating in Chilika will be registered.
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Kerala-born entrepreneur linked to Lebanon pager blasts, Bulgarian agency clears him of involvement
Wayanad: Rinson Jose, a Kerala-born entrepreneur and Norwegian citizen, has been linked to the investigation into the recent pager explosions in Lebanon that resulted in at least 20 fatalities and thousands of injuries.
Jose, 37, is the owner of Bulgaria-based Norta Global Limited and is suspected of being involved in the supply chain for the pagers used in the attacks on September 17, 2024.
“Although on paper it was BAC Consulting that signed the contract with Gold Apollo, Norta Global was actually the one behind the deal,” Telex, a Hungarian media outlet quoted sources as saying.
Reports suggest that Jose has gone missing since the attacks.
However, an investigation by Bulgaria's security agency, SANS, has cleared Jose and his company of any direct involvement, stating that no shipments related to the pagers passed through Bulgaria.
“Following verifications, it has been indisputably established that no communication equipment corresponding to those that exploded on September 17 was imported, exported or manufactured in Bulgaria,” the agency was quoted as saying by AFP. It added that the company and its owner had not carried out any transactions linked to the sale or purchase of the merchandise or that “falls under laws on terrorism financing".
