Colombo, Jan 25 (IANS) The Sri Lankan government will impose heavy fines and a two-year jail sentence on boat operators who do not follow correct procedures for whale watching, media reports said Friday.
Minister of Tourism and Christian Affairs Ranjith Aluwihare said that an awareness programme would be conducted for boat operators engaged in whale watching for local and foreign tourists and anyone caught violating the rules would face a jail term and a fine of $2,700, reports Xinhua news agency.
Aluwihare said some boat operators were violating the listed procedures, such as overcrowding their boats and going further ahead of designated areas, which have endangered tourists' lives.
"Whale watching has become a growing attraction that has made tourists to visit these areas. The Tourism Ministry is concerned that currently many operators do not adhere to essential safety precautions which puts the visitors at risk," Aluwihare said.
He further said boats were permitted to cover a distance of 12 nautical miles which was the observation area frequented by whales.
Sri Lanka is a popular destination for whale watching with the best seasons being from November to February or March of each year.
Blue whale, sperm whale and humpback are among the whale species seen in Sri Lankan waters, which are also rich in dolphins.
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About Gopi
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz