Assn of ferries writes to MMB, MbPT about private players veering into jetties designated for them, causing risk to boats

Assn of ferries writes to MMB, MbPT about private players veering into jetties designated for them, causing risk to boats

- Sabah Virani

MUMBAI: Six days before a naval speedboat crashed into a passenger ferry, Neel Kamal, off the Gateway of India, killing 15, an association of ferries - the Gateway Elephanta Jal Vahatuk Sahakari Sanstha Maryadi (GEJVSSM) - had written to the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) highlighting a long-standing problem of private speedboats interfering with their space at the jetties.

In its letter dated December 12, which HT has seen, the association called attention to how private players, which have permission to use jetty number 5, were veering toward jetties 1 to 4, which are marked for passenger ferries. This invasion, the association underscored, posed a risk to the ferries.