A 21-year-old man was pulled from the water after drowning during a boatman training examination at Nalsarovar bird sanctuary in Ahmedabad district, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar. Mubarak Parmani was taken to Kumar Khan Hospital by 108 ambulance after people at the site rescued him, and his condition was reported to be stable.
The incident occurred during a test in which trainees are required to swim 50 metres and return within three minutes. The report said Parmani began drowning during the examination round. The precise cause of the incident has not been established and remains under investigation.
Nalsarovar, a major bird sanctuary and tourism destination in Gujarat, was officially reopened to visitors on October 9. Boating operations at the sanctuary had remained suspended for the last two years following the Harni boating tragedy. The current training programme is linked to the planned resumption of boating through boats approved by the authorities.
According to the report, local people pulled Parmani out of the water soon after he began drowning. He was then transported by ambulance for medical treatment. The report said he was initially taken to a government health centre and later identified Kumar Khan Hospital as the facility where he was shifted for care.
The training is being conducted for boatmen as part of preparations to restart regulated boating at Nalsarovar. The report said the Forest Department and the Gujarat Maritime Board have certified 100 new mechanised boats and five rescue boats. These vessels are expected to be introduced in phases by Diwali.
The accident has occurred at a point when authorities are attempting to combine the reopening of a popular nature-tourism destination with a new safety framework for boating. The planned fleet includes dedicated rescue boats, while the boatmen are undergoing specialised training before services resume for visitors.
The report did not provide details about the safety equipment used during the examination, the number of personnel supervising the test, or whether a rescue boat was immediately available at the testing location. It also did not establish whether Parmani was a trainee boatman, a swimmer undergoing certification, or part of another training group beyond describing the event as a boatman examination.
The condition of the trainee was reported as stable after he received medical attention. Further details about the investigation, the training protocol and the schedule for starting the new boating services are expected from the authorities involved in managing Nalsarovar and certifying its boats and boatmen.
