A cabin and two ticket counters of SkyDrive Adventure, which was illegally constructed near Lighthouse, were razed to the ground by the Puri municipality. It is alleged that while the operator only had permission to conduct water sports activity at Sterling beach area near Mangala river mouth. However, it operated boats in the sea near the lighthouse, which witnesses high tides, without official approval.
The operator is also accused of endangering lives of tourists by taking them into the rough sea during high tide and inclement weather.
Cricketer Sourav Ganguly’s brother Snehasish Ganguly and his wife Arpita had a narrow escape after the speedboat overturned due to high tides while enjoying a water sports activity in the Puri sea on Saturday evening.
Arpita told the media that the boat overturned as it had less number of passengers and the sea was rough. Although the boat could carry 10 water sports participants, the operators reportedly permitted only three or four people on board. In the viral videos, lifeguards could be seen rushing to save tourists trapped under the boat, using rubber tubes.
She also appealed to government authorities to immediately halt what she termed “dangerous adventure sport” operations in the area.
