IT IS sad that dozens of people are feared dead as a ferry carrying about 300 passengers capsized in the River

Padma in Munshiganj on Monday morning just about two months and a half after the Miraj 4 bound for
Shariatpur had sunk in the River Meghna leaving at least 40 dead. The disaster has been attributed to strong
current in the middle of the river. As New Age reported on Tuesday, quoting the Bangladesh Inland Water
Transport Authority chairman, around 200-250 people were on board. But the report quoted people who
survived the accident as saying that the ferry, MV Pinak 6, was carrying about 300-350 passengers while it
had, as the BIWTA chief inspector said, the capacity to carry not more than 85 passengers. Moreover, several
survivors also complained that the ferry had failed to navigate in the strong current of the river. This tends to
indicate that the helmsman may have been either unskilled or inadequately skilled. Besides, the manner in
which the ferry sank could be an indicator that it was structurally flawed. Overloading, structural flaws and
navigation by unskilled and/or unauthorised crew have been familiar features in most ferry disasters in the
past. All these constitute breach of laws and rules related to inland water transport. If the authorities had
enforced these rules and laws sincerely, there might not have been so many deaths in so many ferry disasters
in the first place. Regrettably, however, the enforcement of the laws and rules, not just in the water transport
sector but also in most other areas, has hardly been the forte of the government. The government has
formed two committees to investigate this accident in the same way it almost instinctively did whenever any
ferry disasters took place in the past. Causes of most ferry accidents, as identified by one investigation
committee after another, are similar, if not the same. However, the identification of the reasons has hardly
led to decisive measures, either punitive or preventive. In any case, the incumbents need to take expeditious
steps to address the issue. Meanwhile, the inland water transport authorities need to initiate departmental
actions against some officials for their obvious monitoring failure.

INVESTIGATIVE journalism has revealed the sordid tale of why launch owners could not care
less about plying the rivers with unfit vessels that are almost always overloaded with passengers.
That the maritime court has now some 35 launch accident cases pending hearing goes to show
the lack of interest in bringing those to book responsible for such maritime disasters. Indeed,
going by what has been published in this newspaper, we are shocked to learn that almost
invariably; all Maritime Court verdicts drag for years in appeals filed by the accused with higher
courts in the country. Whatever may be the casualty figure, what has become obvious is that the
court in charge of handling such accidents is ill-equipped to carry out its function as there are
few marine experts to assess the nature of accident or damage of a maritime incident such as
Pinak-6. What we would like to know is precisely why a single maritime court, lacking in
manpower, is expected to look after such incidences of accident that have become a regular
feature in the country? No sector can be allowed to wilfully break the law, no matter how
powerful its benefactors and it is high time authorities take heed of public interest before private
sector profits.
The heart wrenching story has, meantime, reached all the news viewers or readers of this country. Three college
going sisters uploaded their photos on social networking site before embarking on the journey by the just capsized
launch Pinak-6 with the caption Sisters Journey. They have by now reached the land of faraway from where
nobody ever returns. So here come the same scenes to be repeated again. Launch capsize in the mighty river
confluences owing to either over boarding of people or goods, plying of unfit water vessels without certificates by dint
of bribery or all out corruption in the water sector and too many other causes. Hundreds of corpses are floating on the
river, groaning of bereaved relatives on the river bank, formation of probe committees, media hype for two or three
days and then everything forgotten again. Actually nothing is cheaper than common peoples lives in this country.
Fatal waterway accidents or launch capsizes taking lives of hundreds of people on a regular basis does not mean
anything to the power elite.

Yes, 15 bodies were found floating till Wednesday morning in the river Padma and Meghna in three neighboring
districts on third day after the launch capsized. So far the witnesses told press after the accident that the launch,
Pinak-6, was carrying more than 200 passengers which capsized near Mawa Ghat in Lohajang upazila of Munshiganj
district on Monday morning. At least 100 passengers went missing after the launch carrying over 200 passengers
capsized in the turgid waters of the Padma near Mawa ferry ghat or jetty in Louhajang upazila of Munshiganj on
Monday morning.

Statistics published in newspapers reveal that more than ten thousands of people have so far died in last four
decades in launch disasters. The total number of death toll in launch capsizes during 1971 to 2014 is 10,316. Of
these years 2013 had been the worst in terms of death tolls. Around 1,105 people died in this year alone in three
huge launch capsizes. To add to the horror, one should take note that reports of only five probe committees have
been published though total number of inquiry committees on this issue exceeds 500 in number. Reports of the rest
of 99 percent reports have never come out in the broad day light. Despite filing of 20,000 law suits after the launch
capsizes, only 200 cases have been settled with no punishment offered to any of the alleged persons, according to
the survey carried out by Bangladesh Inland Waterway Transport Authority-BIWTA (the Daily Ittefaq, 05/08/2014).
Another study report by the Nou, Sarak O Rail Khat Rakkha Jatiya Committee, a non-government body on waterway,
road and railway safety, recorded 477 accidents, at least 2,687 deaths and more than 700 missing from 2001 to
2011. Women and children are often the worst victims of such accidents.

Eminent historian and columnist Muntasir Mamun once termed Bangladesh as the country of making possible
everything impossible. We understand the shocking truth of his statement as soon as we come to know how the so
proclaimed project entitled Waterway Accident Reduction Project is in red tape over the years. This 40/ crore taka
project shows no sign of getting translated into action. So every word our politicians, policy makers or others utter is
nothing but mere lip service! Seminars and symposiums continue on expressing concern over the same facts and
figures like around 80 percent water vessels are devoid of fitness but no concrete measures are ultimately taken.

According to the reports of the five probe committees so far published, the major causes of launch capsize are faulty
design, unskilled driver, over boarding of passengers and goods and not adhering to weather forecasting signals.
Most of the launches lack sufficient support system to save lives in danger. Experts point out at giving fitness
certificates to a number of water vessels by some corrupt officials even after chaining original design of the vessel
which becomes ultimately the cause of sinking. It is sad to know that despite presence of lots of Inspection Reports
against faulty water vessels, the launch owners often manage the administration to take any action against them.
Though there had been earlier decisions of not giving fitness certificates to the passenger carrying vessels until they
make them `water tight the decisions have never been carried out. It was also decided that only the launch owners
adding hydrolic steering and eco sounder will get the route permit. But ultimately this decision too has not been
complied with. What is more pathetic is that such faulty and unfit vessels commute at a increased rate during
festival time like Eid causing deaths of hundreds of men and women. But the culprit launch owners are evading their
due punishment again and again in a number of ways. No stern action on part of the government is being taken!

However, the experts now are prioritizing three major steps to reduce the accidents in waterways. Those comprise
establishment of Weather Center at 11 spots of the country to warn and alarm the water vessels by collecting
weather news at local level, installation of towing tank for construction of safe ships (examining the water vessels to
resist the strong currents of the rivers or the sea and arranging for inclining test (to assess the tenacity) and
formation of a revolving fund to strengthen the safety system of the water vessels.

The proposed 11 sites for establishing the Weather Centers are Ashuganj, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Chandpur,
Barisal, Kaukhali, Patuakhali, Ramgati, Paturia, Baghabari and Mawa. This project too is yet to be started for the red
tape.

Over the years, various probe committees recommended strict monitoring to stop plying of unfit launches, increasing
the number of ship surveyors and inspectors in the shipping department, bringing all the inland vessels under marine
insurance, arrangement for formal training for the drivers and modernization of the Inland Shipping Ordinance, 1976.
But the government has yet to implement most of them.

We demand enactment and proper implementation of stern law against licensing of unfit water vessels, recruiting
skilled drivers of the water transports, adhering to strict sanctions against overloading of passengers and goods and
granting of adequate compensation to the families of the victims

A heavily laden ferry has capsized in central Bangladesh after being caught in a storm, leaving at
least 10 people dead and hundreds more missing, police and officials said.
Survivors of what is the latest in a string of ferry disasters to blight Bangladesh said the vessel had
gone down in a matter of minutes, giving passengers little time to leap to safety.
The exact number of passengers was not immediately known. It is common for ferries to carry many
more than their official limit.
"We are receiving confusing figures on how many passengers were on board when it sank, but the
number could range from 200 to 350," district government administrator Saiful Hasan said.
"The toll now stands at 10," he said of the accident on the river Meghna in Munshiganj district, some
30 miles south of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

Local police chief Ferdous Ahmed also confirmed the

recovery of the bodies, including at least two of whom were
women.
The vessel was travelling to the southern district of Shariatpur
from Dhaka when it encountered problems and sank in the
mid-afternoon, according to the police.
"The ferry is completely under water. We are now trying to
locate it," Ahmed said, adding that a salvage vessel has
reached the spot, and fire service divers were on the way.
Police in cooperation with locals were leading the rescue
efforts, he said. The width of the river, the depth of the water
and the strong currents were hampering the attempts.
Hundreds of distraught relatives gathered on the banks of the
river as the bodies were laid in lines in order to be identified,
Ahmed said.
The local online newspaper Banglanews24.com quoted a
survivor of the accident, Abdur Razzaq, as saying that the
boat was hit by the storm suddenly and sank within minutes.
One of the divers who was taking part in the rescue effort was
quoted by the Bangladesh Star as saying "many bodies" were
still trapped inside the vessel.
Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh, one of Asia's
poorest nations which is criss-crossed with more than 230
rivers.
Experts blame poorly maintained vessels, flaws in design and
overcrowding for most of the tragedies.
Storms known locally as Kalboishakhi often hit Bangladesh
during the early summer months in the lead-up to the
monsoon, which generally begins in the first week of June.
Boats are the main form of travel in much of Bangladesh's
remote rural areas, especially in the southern and
northeastern regions.
Some 150 people were killed in the same district in March
2012 after a overcrowded ferry carrying about 200
passengers sank after being hit by an oil barge in the dead of
night.
In 2011, 32 people were killed after a passenger vessel sank
in the same river in the same district after colliding with a
cargo ship.
At least 85 people drowned in 2009 when an overloaded
triple-decker ferry capsized off Bhola Island in the country's
south.
Naval officials have said more than 95 percent of
Bangladesh's hundreds of thousands of small and medium-
sized boats do not meet minimum safety regulations.