The Kerala High Court on Friday issued directions to the government to ensure that the boats operating in the State are not overloaded and display prominently the maximum carrying capacity on each vessel.
The court was hearing a suo motu PIL over the tragic boat accident that happened at Tanur on May 7 that claimed 22 lives, including 15 children.
The bench, comprising Justices Devan Ramachandran and Sophy Thomas, noted that overloading was one of the major factors causing a boat accident.
"...Therefore there is no doubt in our minds that the fundamental imperative is to ensure that every boat in Kerala is allowed to ferry or carry persons only to the maximum capacity as certified by the competent authority," the court said.
The Bench also directed that every boat should be asked to display a board on its conspicuous places, including points of entry and exit and also within its cabins, showing the maximum number of people that it should carry.
The court appointed senior lawyer V M Shyamkumar as amicus curiae in the matter.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Kerala Health Minister Convenes High-Level Meet Over Suspected Nipah Virus Red Alert Issued For Kerala's Wayanad Amid Heavy Rain Forecast Video: Foreigner Claims She Was Denied Entry Into Kerala Temple, Congress' Karti Chidambaram Reacts The 'Fake' CrowdStrike Worker Who Crippled Windows Users Worldwide On Sonu Sood's Post About Kanwar Yatra Order, Kangana Ranaut's Rejoinder Curfew In Bangladesh, Military On Streets After 105 Die In Clashes Kerala Health Minister Convenes High-Level Meet Over Suspected Nipah Virus Economic Survey To Be Tabled In Parliament On Monday, A Day Before Budget Mahindra Thar 5-Door Revealed; Named Thar Roxx Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.