Bhubaneswar: A boat carrying Union Minister Parshottam Rupala got stuck in Odisha's Chilika Lake for approximately two hours on Sunday evening. Initially, there were suspicions that the boat might have become entangled in a net set by fishermen, but the Union Minister later clarified that they had lost their way in the blue lagoon.
The administration dispatched another boat, which rescued the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and transported him to his intended destination. During the incident, he was accompanied by BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra and several other local party leaders.
'We lost our way'
The incident happened when the minister was en route from Barkul in the Khurda district to Satapada in the Puri district through the blue lagoon. The motorised boat became stuck for approximately two hours near the Nalabana bird sanctuary, according to a security official deployed in the minister's convoy duty.
"It got dark and the man steering the boat was new to the route and we lost our way. It took us two more hours to reach Satapada," the minister later told reporters. The administration quickly sent another vessel from Satapada, and the minister and his associates boarded it to reach the destination.
However, due to the incident, Rupala's programme near the Krushnaprasad area in Puri district was cancelled at the last moment due to this incident. Rupala reached Puri around 10.30 pm, the official said.
The Union minister is currently visiting Odisha as part of the 11th phase of the 'Sagar Parikrama' program, where he will engage with local fishermen. Earlier, he launched the program at Gopalpur harbour in Ganjam district. On Monday, Rupala, along with Ports, Shipping & Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, will lay the foundation for a project to modernize and upgrade the Paradip fishing harbour.
(With PTI inputs)
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