Overcrowded launches with inadequate safety gear left the Sadarghat
and Mawa launch terminals in the capital and Munshiganj yesterday,
putting the lives of thousands of home-goers at risk.
Rough weather and swollen rivers made their trips even more risky. Law enforcers and officials of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) did not act to stop overloading of vessels.
Visiting the two launch terminals yesterday, this correspondent found that most of the launches carrying passengers more than double their capacity.
At least four single deck vessels left Mawa terminal for Kawrakandi of Madaripur between 12:00pm and 1:00pm.
The Hirak has a capacity of 198 passengers, but it carried over 400. Over 300 passengers boarded the Sajal against it capacity of 151.
Another launch, the Farzana and Sanjida was carrying over 300 passengers, around 210 more than its capacity. The Chatalpar plied the route with some 350 passengers against its capacity of 150.
Launch drivers did not start their vessels until the BIWTA officials forced them to do so.
The shipping ministry had asked the launch operators to keep enough life-saving gears on board, but there were hardly one or two life buoys and life jackets in each of the vessels.
However, most of the speedboat passengers put on life jackets while crossing the Padma.
Around 80 launches operate on the Mawa-Kawrakandi route daily, said sources.
At Sadarghat terminal, around 2,000 passengers got on MV Ranadut Plus against its capacity of 720 for reaching Vandaria of Pirojpur. The MV Parabat-9 was about to leave for Barisal carrying over 2,000 passengers, though its capacity is 660.
Mir Tareque Ali, professor at the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering of Buet, said overloading of passengers must be stopped at any cost as it is the main reason for accidents in waterways.
As the Eid-ul-Fitr falls in monsoon this year, the government should
take additional measures to ensue safety of passengers, he suggested.
Seeking anonymity, a BIWTA official said it is not possible for them to check overloading of passengers due to the huge rush of holidaymakers during the Eid season.
“If we make an attempt to unload passengers from vessels with the help of law enforcers, it might irk home-goers and ultimately trigger a clash between law enforcers and passengers,” he noted.
A passenger of MV Surovi-9, Moshiur Rahman said they risk their lives on trips to home every year ahead of Eid as the launch operators overload vessels. “The operators and the government had made many pledges to make the journey safe, but hardly anything has been done to meet those. We want to travel home safely.”
According to government statistics, 180 people die in accidents in waterways annually on average. However, the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways said 326 people were killed annually in last 20 years on average in river accidents.
Source: The daily Star
Rough weather and swollen rivers made their trips even more risky. Law enforcers and officials of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) did not act to stop overloading of vessels.
Visiting the two launch terminals yesterday, this correspondent found that most of the launches carrying passengers more than double their capacity.
At least four single deck vessels left Mawa terminal for Kawrakandi of Madaripur between 12:00pm and 1:00pm.
The Hirak has a capacity of 198 passengers, but it carried over 400. Over 300 passengers boarded the Sajal against it capacity of 151.
Another launch, the Farzana and Sanjida was carrying over 300 passengers, around 210 more than its capacity. The Chatalpar plied the route with some 350 passengers against its capacity of 150.
The shipping ministry had asked the launch operators to keep enough life-saving gears on board, but there were hardly one or two life buoys and life jackets in each of the vessels.
However, most of the speedboat passengers put on life jackets while crossing the Padma.
Around 80 launches operate on the Mawa-Kawrakandi route daily, said sources.
At Sadarghat terminal, around 2,000 passengers got on MV Ranadut Plus against its capacity of 720 for reaching Vandaria of Pirojpur. The MV Parabat-9 was about to leave for Barisal carrying over 2,000 passengers, though its capacity is 660.
Mir Tareque Ali, professor at the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering of Buet, said overloading of passengers must be stopped at any cost as it is the main reason for accidents in waterways.
Seeking anonymity, a BIWTA official said it is not possible for them to check overloading of passengers due to the huge rush of holidaymakers during the Eid season.
“If we make an attempt to unload passengers from vessels with the help of law enforcers, it might irk home-goers and ultimately trigger a clash between law enforcers and passengers,” he noted.
A passenger of MV Surovi-9, Moshiur Rahman said they risk their lives on trips to home every year ahead of Eid as the launch operators overload vessels. “The operators and the government had made many pledges to make the journey safe, but hardly anything has been done to meet those. We want to travel home safely.”
According to government statistics, 180 people die in accidents in waterways annually on average. However, the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways said 326 people were killed annually in last 20 years on average in river accidents.
Source: The daily Star
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