Cops act, no more Pulicat boat rides

CHENNAI: In the wake of a boat capsize that killed 22 people in Pulicat lake, Thiruvallur police have decided to fix a sign board to warn tourists that boat rides are banned in the area. “We have received orders from our senior police officials and we are likely to place the board on Wednesday,” a police official said. Apart from the sign board, a police outpost manned by a sub-inspector and five policemen will be opened near the lake to warn tourists and stop them from hiring fishing boats.On Sunday, the boat carrying 26 people sank in the lake near the mouth of the sea. Twenty members of Gummidipoondi businessman Sundarapandian’s family perished in the tragedy. Only three boys of the family were able to be rescued, while the boatman swam to safety. Meanwhile, search continues for the body of 20-year-old Anita. The bodies of 21 others have been fished out.Anita was an employee of a store owned by Sundarapandian and she had joined her employer’s family on Christmas Day for the trip. Policemen are confident of retrieving the body soon. There are also chances of the body being washed ashore. “We are searching for the body.  Fishermen in the area say bodies usually wash ashore within four days of drowning,” a police official said.