Lifeguards threaten protest over pending March salary

Kochi: Lifeguards deployed by tourism department across the district have threatened to protest as they have not yet received their March salary, even as staff members of other categories under the department received the same. This comes at a time when beaches such as Fort Kochi and Puthuvype are experiencing a heavy influx of tourists with the onset of the summer vacation."With the start of the summer vacation, our workload has increased. We need to roam the beach under the blazing sun. However, our salary for March is still pending, despite the festive occasions like Easter and Vishu. We are struggling to make both ends meet as the prices of household items have gone up due to the ripple effect of the gas crunch," said a lifeguard on the condition of anonymity. While there are 180 lifeguards across the state, 26 lifeguards are currently deployed at the beaches in the district. This includes the eight personnel deployed at Fort Kochi beach. Despite the risky nature of the job and them playing a vital role in saving many lives, lifeguards get paid Rs 730 a day and have not received a pay hike for nearly a decade. Worse, despite the promise of extending uniform (including related accessories) allowance, the lifeguards are forced to meet the expense, which comes around Rs 6,000 per person, from their own pockets. "Currently the tourism season is on. Hundreds of tourists are flocking to Fort Kochi during weekends, especially Sundays. Yet the number of casualties has come down drastically. Earlier, there were 10 to 15 incidents of casualties a year, but post deployment of lifeguards in 2012, only one or two instances per annum are there," said another lifeguard. When contacted, a senior official of the regional office of department of tourism said the wages have not been disbursed due to a shortage of funds. "We've submitted all the papers to the headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram," he said. Meanwhile, there are no basic amenities like toilet facilities at major tourism destinations like Fort Kochi beach. "The department has constructed a toilet complex several months ago but is yet to open the same to the visitors or the staff like us," said a lifeguard. Govt first deployed lifeguards at Kovalam beach in 1986 to ensure the safety of visitors, especially tourists. It was only 18 years ago that the govt started deploying lifeguards on beaches in other districts.