Readying unfit launches ahead of Eid
As Eid-ul-Fitr is approaching, many launch owners are hectically repairing and refurbishing their faulty and unfit vessels like in other years at different dockyards in south Keraniganj to carry passengers during the rush of homebound people. A report on this appeared in a daily newspaper yesterday. According to the report, the owners are giving their old, rundown, and unfit vessels a paint job and pressing those into service ahead of the Eid rush to reap super normal profits from these trips. Dozens of unfit and faulty vessels, many of those rusted, have been reportedly refurbished recently to attract passengers and many others are undergoing such face-lift activities. This has become a chronic practice in our country. A section of greedy launch owners are resorting to this malpractice. Making money by hook or by crook is their motto. They hardly care about the safety and security
of passengers. But hardly a year passes without a number of launch disasters. At least 5,290 people had died and 1,236 remained missing due to launch accidents in the country during the past 20 years. Two-thirds of those capsized launches were found to be such unfit ones according to a NGO study.
During the Eid launchesboth fit and unfitcarry up to five times more passengers than the permitted capacity that causes accidents very often. Frenzied homebound people care little about fit or unfit vessels. It is the responsibility of the BIWTA officials and police to check movement of unfit vessels and overloading of passengers from the launch terminals and ghats.
Owners of unfit vessels must be brought under justice. Many rivers of the country have lost their navigability. Vessels moving at night get stuck in hidden shoals and shallow waters, resulting in accidents and casualties. Dredging of those rivers should be undertaken for uninterrupted plying of vessels.
