Vadodara: Around 25 motorboats lying unused at the Emergency Response Centre (ERC) in Darjipura have sparked a row, with an activist say that these were gathering dust even as the city did not have adequate boats for rescue work. According to Swejal Vyas, the boats were manufactured in 2016 but were not put to use by the civic body. He added that several people could have been rescued or given aid using these boats.
He slammed the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) for the situation. VMC standing committee chairman Dr Sheetal Mistry said the boats were procured in two phases around 2010 and 2016. These included those provided by Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) and those procured by VMC.
Mistry added that the boats were in a bad shape and were kept so that their parts could be used in other boats. We also published the following articles recently 11 sailors adrift on life boats rescued Eleven sailors were rescued in a challenging night operation by the Coast Guard after their cargo ship sank 90 nautical miles south of Sagar Island, West Bengal. The rescue team, including a Dornier aircraft and two ships, continues to search for three missing crew members of Mumbai-registered MV ITT Puma, which was heading to Port Blair from Kolkata.
Boat rides disrupt birds at Ukkadam lake Bird enthusiasts have voiced concerns over unrestricted boat rides at Ukkadam Periyakulam, which are disturbing resident and migratory water birds. They urge the Corporation to impose regulations on boat movements to safeguard the birds. An official from Coimbatore Corporation has confirmed plans to restrict boat activity in sensitive zones to minimize disturbances.
Mastercard partners Boat to offer tap to pay on its devices Mastercard has teamed up with wearable brand Boat to launch tap-and-pay functionality on smartwatches through the Crest Pay app. Initially available to Mastercard cardholders from selected banks, this feature will allow users to make transactions up to Rs 5,000 without a PIN. The collaboration aims to boost confidence in wearable payment technology.
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