HC bars boat services in Thamirabarani river

Madurai: Madras high court on Friday ordered an interim stay restraining operation of boat services in Thamirabarani river in Kanyakumari district.A division bench of justice N Sathish Kumar and justice M Jothiraman passed the interim order while hearing a public interest litigation filed by T Prabhu.The petitioner stated that he routinely travels from his house in Kadaiyal to his agricultural land in Thirparappu using a coracle for crossing the Thamirabarani river since 2019. He also uses the coracle to bring back the agricultural produce such as coconut, banana and tapioca from his land to his house. He stated that no licence or permission is required for operating the coracle since the same is being used for his personal use for his livelihood.In Jan 2026, when he was crossing the river in his coracle with his friends, he saw two overcrowded boats with 35 tourists in one boat and 12 tourists in another boat operating in the river. He also noticed that the tourists were not provided life jackets for safety. When he inquired with the authorities from Kadaiyal and Thirparappu, he came to know that the boats were operated by a private individual without obtaining any licence from the authorities.He stated that though he submitted a representation to the authorities seeking to stop the illegal operation of boat services in Thamirabarani river and seeking to initiate action against the private individual operating the boats, no action was taken. Hence, the petitioner moved court.