Puri: The Puri district administration has suspended all water sports activities on the beach and demolished the office of a boat operator after finding multiple violations of permit conditions.

The action follows a recent boat capsize incident involving Snehasish Ganguly, elder brother of former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, and Snehasish's wife Arpita.

Snehasish, who is also the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, and Arpita narrowly escaped a mishap when a speedboat was struck by a wave near the beach. The couple was rescued in time, avoiding serious injury.

In the aftermath of the incident, Arpita made a public appeal to government authorities, urging them to shut down what she described as “dangerous adventure sport” operations being carried out in the area.

Acting swiftly, the Puri district administration launched an investigation and found several serious lapses by the boat operator, the only agency licensed to conduct water sports on the beach.

“The operator was supposed to operate at Sterling beach near the Mangala river mouth but was found running activities at Light House beach without permission,” said Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain.

“He expanded operations beyond the designated zone and endangered tourists by venturing into rough seas during high tide and bad weather,” the collector added.

As part of the crackdown, officials demolished the operator’s temporary office, which was found to be an illegal construction near the beach. A show-cause notice has been issued, and the operator has been asked to respond within seven days.

The administration also plans to register a criminal case against the operator. “An FIR will be filed for putting lives at risk and violating permit norms,” Swain said.