Raiganj: In a decisive step to curb children from drowning, Raiganj Police have installed bamboo barriers along deep-water zones of the Kulik River. These preventative installations, erected at bathing ghats in Abdulghata, Bandar and Kharmujghat, are paired with eye-catching flex boards cautioning bathers not to cross the barricades.
Every monsoon, the district faces a surge in fatalities due to drowning in rivers, ponds and other water bodies. Recently there have been a number of deaths of both children and adults in Karandighi, Itahar, Hemtabad and Raiganj by drowning. A particularly harrowing incident on June 27 claimed the lives of two youngsters Munna Ram (14) and Dilip Kumar (15) from Boroli village in Bharatpur district, Rajasthan who drowned in the Sui River at Purbapara, under Itahar Police Station. Spurred by this tragedy, police officials rapidly mobilised awareness campaigns and precautionary measures. Nimchand Baidya, a resident living on the bank of Kulik River in Raignaj stated: “During monsoon, the rivers swell and many people, including children drown while bathing. We are happy that the police have taken this step to prevent drowning.”
Kuntal Banerjee, Additional Superintendent of Police, Raiganj, emphasised on the necessity of such measures and said: “After witnessing multiple fatalities, we began erecting bamboo barriers in rivers at points of greater depth, accompanied by flex boards warning bathers not to cross. We’ve already installed them at several ghats along the Kulik River in Raiganj. Similar barriers will soon appear at other river sites across Itahar, Karandighi, Hemtabad and Kaliyaganj. The guardians of the children and people living near river banks are being made aware of this.”