A trail of ignored warnings have emerged on Wednesday in the aftermath of the cruise accident at Bargi Dam in MP’s Jabalpur district, which upended 13 lives as the vessel careened to one side and capsized after a storm on April 30. Official documents have revealed that the boat’s operator, Maikal Resort, had issued at least four written warnings to the Tourism Department since early 2025, flagging serious mechanical faults in the vessel’s engines.

However, the warnings fell on deaf ears, as no corrective measures were taken, putting administrative negligence at the centre of the probe. 

Warnings underscored cruise’s unfitness

As per the correspondence, the resort had consistently raised concerns with the authorities regarding the cruise’s unfitness for operation due to persistent engine failures. In adverse weather conditions, including strong water currents, high waves and strong winds, the vessel reportedly struggled to function and often had to be towed back to the shore by means of a speedboat. 

The first such letter prompted an inspection by the department on April 16, 2025. The team which conducted the inspection recommended the replacement of the engines at the earliest, but it failed to materialise. The resort subsequently wrote more letters dated August 11 and November 17, 2025, which reiterated the same concerns and warned of a potential mishap if the vessel continued to operate without repairs. Yet, the officials concerned failed to act. 

Final warning came weeks before disaster

On March 30 this year, just weeks before the devastating incident, Maikal Resort sent a final communication to the Regional Manager of the Tourism Department. Its letter explicitly mentioned that the cruise boat was not safe for operations. However, this warning too went unaddressed. 

A month after this, the vessel capsized after suffering a sudden storm, turning a routine outing into a catastrophe. While 13 passengers who were onboard died, the rescue teams rescued 28 others. Almost two days after the untoward incident, the MP government had dismissed three crew members and had imposed a statewide ban on similar vessels. A judicial probe has been ordered into the incident, which is being led by MP High Court’s ex-judge Sanjay Dwivedi.