3 min readChandigarhAug 13, 2026 09:30 PM IST
At Sukhna Lake, where boat rides are one of the major attractions for visitors, a basic safety requirement of life jackets was given a “casual and lackadaisical” treatment, an inspection report has revealed.
The findings during the compliance audit of Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) left a stark mismatch at the iconic lake: 145 boats, 488 life jackets required — but only 225 available.
The findings are contained in the Inspection Report of the Compliance Audit of Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) for the period 2021-2022 to 2023-24, obtained by Chandigarh activist R K Garg from the Director General of Audit, Delhi.
The report has also described the approach towards their specifications, purchase and maintenance as “lackadaisical” and “casual”, warning that it “may cause danger to the life of visitors”.
“Lackadaisical and casual approach in deciding specifications and purchase of life jackets has led to purchase and maintenance of life jackets for boating at Sukhna Lake, which may cause danger to the life of visitors,” the inspection report said.
It called for the involvement of an expert body approved by the Government of India, like National Institute of Water Sport, Ministry of Tourism, Goa and Sports Authority of India, NDRF among others.
“Tourist footfall data for Sukhna Lake has shown a large number of tourists visiting Sukhna Lake… 90,000 (weekday) and 15,000 (weekend) approximately. Hence, the casual way of working without coordination, monitoring has not only caused huge revenue loss, (but also) put life of the visitors at risk for want of standardised life jackets and professionally trained manpower,” the report specified.
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A shortage that refused to go away
The findings indicated that the problem is not new. CITCO had purchased 800 life jackets in 2012, but after the first supply of 200, the second supply was found not to conform to specifications and the supplier was blacklisted.
Another 125 life jackets were purchased on an emergency basis in October 2014. The shortage nevertheless continued to be flagged by officials. The report records that 20-25 boats were reportedly not being operated due to inadequate life jackets, resulting in loss of revenue.
CITCO subsequently initiated another procurement of 800 life jackets in 2015. The audit, however, raised questions over the tender process, noting that only two vendors participated. It observed that efforts should have been made to identify more approved suppliers to ensure competitive bidding.
Requirement of jackets: 500, but purchase: 75
The audit records another glaring mismatch in December 2022, when CITCO ordered only 75 life jackets against an assessed requirement of 500.
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The report further points out that the supplier had not provided test reports, the address of the designated laboratory or an Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) approval certificate at the time of quoting. Despite this, CITCO proceeded on the basis of its own approval of the sample before bulk supply.
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