Vessel with 25 passengers gets stuck in Chilika again, second incident in 15 days

A boat with 25 passengers and 10 bikes got stuck mid-Chilika again on Wednesday stranding them in the lake.

As per reports, the boat en route to Janhikuda from Satapada in Puri developed technical snag and was rendered immobile in the lake.

This is the second such instance in 15 days. Earlier on December 20, as many as 60 passengers along with 40 two-wheelers got stuck in Chilika lake after the motorised boat they were travelling in developed a technical snag midway.

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It is pertinent to mention here that crossing Chilika lake by boat is the only way for the locals of 14 panchayats to get to Krushnaprasad block.

Overcrowded boats getting stuck in Chilika is nothing new for the locals owing to shallow waters in the six km stretch from Janhikuda to Satapada. Boats stuck in shallow waters are generally pulled back after high tide in the evening.

The Chilika Development Authority (CDA) had dug up a channel inside the lake in 2000 for the boats to operate on the route. But it has since then been filled by sand and mud making boating on the route difficult.

Notably, on January 14, a passenger boat en route to Maa Kalijai shrine with 20 devotees on board got stuck midway in Chilika lake due to dense fog. This had then prompted the local administration to temporarily suspend the boat service in Chilika lake till the fog situation subsided.

READ | Boat With 60 Passengers, 40 Bikes Gets Stuck Mid-Chilika