Elephanta Boat Tragedy: A mad scramble for life jackets; but a day later, few want one

A day after the Elephanta boat tragedy a survivor recounted how people were snatching any available life jacket after the ferry was hit by a Navy boatSurvivor recountsI saw people drowning right in front of my eyes Passengers were snatching life jackets desperate to save their own lives I managed to grab one and gave it to my wife then hurried to the rooftop of the ferryrdquo recalls Ajay Soni popularly known as Munna Battery a familiar name in poetry circles Soni who had been a participant in Indiarsquos Laughter Champion judged by Archana Puran Singh and Shekhar Suman had come to Mumbai with his wife Sulekha who was seeing the sea for the first timeEveryone was busy clicking photographs when suddenly a speedboat rammed into our ferry There was absolute panic at that moment But the ferry owner tried to calm everyone saying there was no major damage and things were under control Soon however passengers spotted the tyres tied to the vesselrsquos sides breaking apart and the ferry gradually began sinking With that our hope of survival started sinking toordquo Soni addedSoni used to be a frequent visitor to Mumbai while participating in kavi sammelans However this visit was purely to spend quality time with his wife who had never seen the sea before ldquoSince the weather in our hometown is extremely cold we decided to take a break and came to Mumbai leaving our kids behind Due to the tight schedule of the event I attended I could just about manage to bring my wife with me Unfortunately this incident left my wife traumatised and her first impression of the sea has been anything but pleasantrdquo Sulekha Soni Ajayrsquos wife shared her distress with midday ldquoI saw women and children falling into the deep sea I am still terrifiedrdquo she saidAccording to Soni he had no access to a life jacket and gave the only one he could find to his wife ldquoInitially we werenrsquot given life jackets It was only after the accident that the staff began throwing life jackets at us I grabbed one and gave it to my wife since she didnrsquot know how to swim while I had to manage without one Shersquos still in shock after the incident As soon as I got hold of a phone I informed my elder brother about the incident and told him not to inform our mother Itrsquos by Godrsquos grace that we hadnrsquot brought our children with us or they would have gone through a horrendous experiencerdquo he added The Soni couple emphasised that the ferry staff should have provided life jackets to all passengers before boardingAfter accident MidDay finds not many passengers wanted life jacketsA day after a collision between a ferry vessel and a Navy craft off the Mumbai coast claimed 14 lives the authorities on Thursday made it mandatory for all passengers and crew members to wear life jackets onboard boats leaving from the Gateway of India The move was however met with resistance with some passengers flatout refusing to don the flotation devices citing discomfort and the heatAmid the imposition of new safety measures one detail stood out most ferries were suddenly stocked with brandnew life jacketsmdashsome still with price tags attached or handed out in their original plastic wrapping sparking questions as to why such basic precautions were not enforced earlier While ferry operators at Apollo Bunder jetty had procured safety jackets many passengers were arguing with the service provider over making it compulsory to wear the life jackets In fact those working on ferry vessels claimed that prior to the mishap there had been cases where passengers started arguing when asked to wear jackets as a precautionary measureTragic mishapThe abrupt emphasis on safety came after survivors of the previous dayrsquos Neelkamal ferry disaster revealed a chilling truth at the time of the incident passengers were not wearing life jackets and the illfated boat reportedly didnrsquot have enough life jackets Allegations also emerged that the ferry had been carrying passengers beyond its permitted capacityThe tragic collision occurred on Wednesday when a Navy craft conducting engine trials struck the ferry vessel Neelkamal which was transporting more than 110 passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta The moment was captured by one of the passengers onboard the Neelkamal In the wake of the incident Captain C J Lepande regional port officer of the Maharashtra Maritime Board along with other port officialsmdashincluding the port superintendent were stationed at Apollo Bunder since early Thursday morning They conducted thorough inspections of each vessel ensuring that every boat was adequately equipped with life jackets and complied with the safety guidelinesldquoThere hasnrsquot been an issue today Thursday but we need to streamline ferry operationsrdquo Lepande told midday ldquoThe unfortunate incident highlights the urgent need to enforce safety measures without compromise Wearing life jackets must become a standard practice rather than the exceptionrdquo he added ldquoOur ferry can carry 85 passengersrdquo said a crew member of the ML Samreen 1 ldquoSometimes we would allow a few extra to board but not anymore We used to allow standing passengers onboard but now we insist they take the next boatrdquo he addedA crew member from the ferry vessel ML Arzan explained ldquoWersquove always had life jackets but passengers rarely wanted to wear them and we didnrsquot insist Now we do If they refuse they wonrsquot be allowed to board we are making it clearrdquo Initially some passengers resisted citing discomfort in the heat and humidity The crew however stood their ground arguing with passengers and warning that the ferry wouldnrsquot depart unless everyone complied ldquoTourists wear life jackets abroad where boats donrsquot leave the dock until every passenger is wearing onerdquo the ML Arzan crew member addedlsquoNo dearth of life jacketsrsquoSharafat Mukadam a ferry operator and secretary of the Mumbai Jal Vahatuk and Audyogik Sahakari Sanstha said ldquoItrsquos not that life jackets werenrsquot available before theyrsquove always been on the boats The problem is that passengers simply didnrsquot want to wear them Now we have instructed all our crew members to hand out life jackets to every passenger and ensure that everyone wears one Anyone who refuses will not be allowed on boardrdquoAsked about the life jackets appearing brandnew and unused Mukadam said ldquoEvery year a few life jackets are replaced with new ones We generally keep them covered in plastic which is why they look unusedrdquo Madhao Singh a passenger returning from Elephanta said ldquoI have visited Elephanta and Mandwa many times with friends and have always taken these ferries This time my uncle and his family are visiting Mumbai for the first time from Rajasthan so we planned a trip to Elephanta Previously the ferry crew never handed out life jackets but now they asked us to wear them saying it was compulsory My uncle felt uncomfortable but they insisted he keep it onrdquoldquoLife jackets have always been mandatory and boat owners and operators have been instructed to strictly adhere to these safety guidelines without compromiserdquo said a port authority official at Apollo Bunder ldquoWe have already directed the boat owners about this They must ensure that every passenger on board is wearing a life jacket before departure the officer said