Houseboat operators are clamouring for a fire and rescue station to be set up at Punnamada as fire-related accidents have been causing danger to the tourism industry in Alappuzha that is on a recovery mode after being hit by the pandemic-inflicted lockdown.

On Wednesday, a12-member family from Thrissur had a miraculous escape after a houseboat caught fire at Vattakayal. The timely intervention of local people and other houseboat crew averted a major mishap.

The boat caught fire while it was anchored at the houseboat terminal at Vattakayal.
Houseboat owners and fire force officials have called for a timely intervention.

“The fire station for Punnamada is a long pending demand and we hope that the state government will immediately consider our request. We met chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently and handed him a memorandum,” said A Anas, president of Houseboat Owners Samithi.
Fire force officials, meanwhile, have asked for better facilities to carry out rescue operations. “Though we have two boats, those are very old. They don’t have speed and other facilities that enable us to conduct the rescue activities so fast.”

The officials added that if a fire station was set up at Punnamada Finishing Point, which is the major anchoring point for houseboats in the state “we can prevent fire mishaps.”
“At present, our boats do not have even an alarm siren. So, the small boats and other boats could not move from our way while we were going for rescue activities,” the officials said. The Alappuzha Fire Station has 88 staff.
As per the port department, 833 houseboats are registered with them. Of those, 769 houseboats are in Alappuzha. Covid-19 had adversely affected the houseboat industry that employs at least 4,300 people.

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