With no water check post around the river Sone the boatmen ferry hundreds of people between Jharkhand’s Palamu and Bihar’s Rohtas every day while for surface transportation there is a whole lot of e-pass and other curbs with interstate road check posts.
For the boatmen here it is all a free water run! The journey to and fro is done with all impunity said sources.
Sources said Jharkhand Palamu’s river the Koyal has its confluence with Bihar’s Sone river in the Hussainabad sub division of Palamu.
There are three locations namely Deori Dangwar and Kabra Kalan from where the wooden hand driven boats run in the waters of the river Sone for Bihar’s Rohtas and back with scores of people on it sitting in utter violation of the health measures like no mask and no social distancing which is just not possible in a thirty feet or so long boat with two dozen of people sitting in the boat said sources. Mask wearing in water is seen as a health hazard said sources.
Kamleshwar Narain the SDO Hussainabad said boats are definitely sailing between the two banks one on our side and the other falling in Bihar State. He said the boatmen have told him that they are ferrying only farmers of both sides, which is most difficult to believe.
SDO added the block officials and police officials have been asked to keep a close watch on the sailing of boats and if it is found its sailing poses health hazards then law will take its own course.
Sources said the boats make trips every one hour or so from both the banks for the whole long day. Night sailing is not preferred, said sources.