Alphons asks states, UTs to put in place adequate safety

Union minister K J Alphons has asked all states to put in place adequate safety protocols in the backdrop of the death of 21tourists in a boat mishap in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.
In a letter addressed to all chief ministers and Lt Governors/administrators of Union territories, the tourism minister has expressed his astonishment at the fact that the boat in which the tourists were ferried had no license and was overcrowded.
He said that the boat was carryingno security equipment like life jackets, which was a "gross violation of basic stipulations".
"Please put in place a protocol so that in future, such incidents do not take place," the minister said in his letter.

The overloaded boat capsized in Krishna river near Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday evening, resulting in the death of 21 people.