Negligence is cause of boat tragedy; Minister Riyas should resign, says K Surendran

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president K Surendran on Monday said that the Tanur boat accident was caused by the negligence of the government which did not intervene in spite of many violations of the law related to the boat service.

"Tourism minister Riyas should resign. There is definitely a lot of corruption in allowing unlicensed and unfit boats to operate. The minister should remember that the safety of the people is the responsibility of the government. The tourism minister and the chief minister should answer for the lives of 22 people," Surendran said.

"The main question is that why Riyas, who spends crores on advertising for tourism, did not try to create a unified system for houseboats. He was not even ready to create a mobile app. While appropriate compensation should be given to the families of deceased persons and the injured, a thorough investigation should be conducted and strict action should be taken against the culprits," he added.

Surendran also said that the Prime Minister's decision to immediately announce Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased is welcome.