‘Life jackets not mandatory’: MP Tourism Corporation official sparks massive controversy; toll at 11 in Jabalpur boat tragedy

BHOPAL: Days after a survivor's explosive revelation that life jackets were given only after the cruise vessel at Jabalpur's Bargi dam had started sinking, pointing to lax safety measures for passengers, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation (MPT) sparked off a major controversy on Saturday, claiming that wearing life jackets wasn't mandatory for passengers boarding boats cruising the reservoir.Amid mounting questions around safety lapses, MPT's advisor to water sports activities, retired Navy commander Rajendra Nigam, claimed that the boats for the Bargi dam cruise had adequate life jackets."It was not mandatory to enjoy a boat ride (on Bargi dam) wearing a life jacket. Sufficient life jackets were in store on the boat," was Nigam's reply when asked about safety.The claim came just a day after CM Mohan Yadav ordered a high-level probe into the cruise boat capsize, which has claimed 11 lives so far, with four more passengers still not accounted for.The 100-seater boat, which sailed off for a cruise despite a Met warning for stormy waters, overturned on April 30 leaving lifeless bodies, their grieving kin and plenty of unanswered questions in its wake.The cruise operators are alleged to have ignored safety protocols, resulting in the tragic boat capsize in the popular Jabalpur site.Pressed on whether there were adequate measures in place to ensure passenger safety in deep waters, he said lifeboats were on hand for rescues.Asked if those lifeboats failed to save lives as the cruise vessel sank, Nigam said, "The weather changed all of a sudden, giving nobody a chance to react. The lifeboats were dispatched, but by then the vessel had already sunk. Nevertheless, we worked tirelessly to save lives."On the weather alert, he said, "Warnings from the meteorological department aren't easily accessible. We can't always view them."However, pressed on the lack of life jackets tailored to different sizes, Nigam conceded limitations. "We have standard small, medium and large sizes, but for big weight differences—like 100 kg versus 50 kg—we can't provide suitable ones," he said, promising to include varied options in the next tender for life jacket procurement.Defending the jackets, each of which costs Rs 1,200 and are typically provided by the MPT to tourists as ‘standard-grade', Nigam said pricier models (Rs 8,000–Rs 15,000) are too heavy, deterring tourists.Meanwhile, a national-level water sports coach, speaking anonymously, questioned the efficacy of the life jackets for the cruise. "Even expert swimmers get top-tier jackets for zero risk. At just Rs 1,200, one wonders how much those MPT jackets would have protected the tourists," he said.The cruise tragedy brought to the fore concerns around the practice ofno mandatory jackets, inaccessible warnings, ill-fitting and cheap flotation devices.Tourists, meanwhile, demanded an urgent overhaul of the safety measures, calling for mandatory life jacket use, stocking of inclusive sizes, investing in premium gear, and streamlining weather alerts.