On January 15, on the occasion of ‘Kite flying festival’ (Patang Mahotsav) on Makar Sakranti, several people lost their lives as the boat carrying them capsized in Ganga river. CPI(ML) Bihar state secretary Com. Kunal visited Patna Medical College and Hospital to meet the injured and the families of those who died in the boat accident in Patna. He expressed his condolences to the grieving families. He said that though the administration was saying that 21 had died, the actual number could be far greater and that among those who died, a large number was of students and youth. He also said that this had happened due to the criminal negligence of the administration. He said that this accident once again reopened the wounds of the Adalat Ghat and Gandhi Maidan accidents. The government had failed to ensure adequate number of boats despite there being a festival. Again and again the administrative failures in arrangements during festivals were being witnessed and the government’s disaster management had proved to be a colossal failure.
