Rowing activities likely to start at Rabindra Sarobar after a gap of four months

KOLKATA: Rowing activities at Rabindra Sarobar are likely to resume within a few days after a gap of four months with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), last week, clarifying that it had never passed an order prohibiting petrol or diesel-run rescue boats in the Lake.

A meeting of the extended expert committee that has been constituted by the state government under the instructions of NGT will be held at Unnayan Bhavan in Salt Lake on Wednesday on plying of petrol engine-operated rescue boats during rowing practice or regatta or any other watersports.

All three rowing clubs had written to Kolkata

Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) demanding immediate instruction to resume rowing soon after the order of NGT. Rowing was suspended at the Lake from May 22 after the death of two young rowers on May 21.

"We have all preparations in place and if we get the nod of KMDA we can resume rowing," Chandan Roy Chowdhury, honorary secretary of Calcutta Rowing Club said.

The tribunal has stated that whether petrol boats should be permitted, if they are environmentally compliant, is a matter to be decided exclusively by KMDA along with the expert committee constituted.

Instructions on the steps required by the rowing clubs for resumption of rowing are likely to be spelt out at Wednesday's meeting.

The rowing clubs are ready with an ambulance, a safety officer, rescue boats and all SOPs advised by cops and KMDA after the mishap.