Boat carrying over 60 passengers stranded in mid-Chilika

A motorboat carrying more than 60 passengers and 40 bikes got stuck in Chilika Lake on Sunday. The boat got stuck near Maensa in the lake after its engine developed a technical snag.

According to sources, the boat was ferrying passengers from Satapada to Janhikuda when its engine developed a technical snag. 

The boat left Janhikuda ghat around 4 pm and after covering a distance of just 2 km it developed a technical issue. The nearby fisherman came to the rescue of the stranded passengers.

Till the last report came in, the boat was moving towards shore after being stranded in the lake for over one hour.

Notably, residents of as many as 92 villages near the lake have to face a lot of hardships and struggles in their daily communication to earn their livelihood. To reach the mainland, the villagers have to cross five km through Chilka Lake which has always remained a risky affair.

Earlier this year, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced to build two bridges over Chilika Lake without hampering the marine habitat. The two bridges will be like signature bridges under the Bharatmala project.