We can give due respect to the wishes of the people of Basohli and adjoining areas asking the Government to introduce water sports and ferrying in the Ranjit Sagar Dam for the twin purpose of attracting tourists and shortening the otherwise long travelling distance between Basohli and Satwain. But in such cases, we need to be discreet and without sentimentality. The report from the experts of National Institute of Water Sports, Goa about the feasibility of introducing water sports and ferrying in Ranjit Sagar Dam has advised against any such enterprise owing to two main arsons. One is that the current of water is swift and secondly ferrying would be hazardous because of the rocks standing underneath the water. If the report was favourable, people of the locality would be justified in demanding implementation of water sports in the dam. Obviously no responsible government would take the risk in view of adverse report from expert agency.
The Government cannot be accused of neglecting Basohli just because it is not ready to oblige the people by introducing the sports and ferrying. It is a matter in which precious human lives are involved. God forbid if the government allows ferrying and then some untoward accident happens and lives are lost, the people will raise hue and cry that despite the warning from the NIWS, the government did not take precautionary measures. Now that under pressure from the people the government has made another request to the NIWS, Goa to send another team of experts for examining the feasibility of water spots in the dam, people should wait for the second report. Hopefully after receiving the second report on feasibility, the government will take final decision. Meanwhile, Government should constitute a panel of experts to hold threadbare discussions on the subject before coming to some final conclusion.
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