Hooghly, 2 July (H.S.) A tragic incident occurred on Tuesday night at Surkhitala Ghat in Mahesh, where a local fish trader drowned while bathing in the Ganga River. According to local sources, the victim, known in the area as Buro, went into the river to bathe and was swept away by the strong current.
On Wednesday morning, a team of officials, including Serampore SDO Shambhudeep Sarkar, ACP Shubhankar Biswas, Chairpersons of Serampore and Rishra municipalities Giridhari Saha and Vijay Sagar Mishra respectively, and former Serampore Municipality Chairman Amiya Mukherjee, visited the site. Officials from the irrigation department were also present. The delegation inspected the ghat and assessed safety-related issues.
Following the inspection, SDO Shambhudeep Sarkar announced that the Surkhitala Ghat would be temporarily closed to the public. He stated, “No one will be allowed to bathe or carry out any activity at this ghat for now. There have been repeated drowning incidents here.”
Notably, in the past three months alone, four people have drowned at this very ghat.
In light of the recurring tragedies, the administration has taken the decision to close the ghat temporarily as a preventive measure.
As of the time of reporting, the search for the missing fish trader continued in the Ganga River.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey
