Revival of major river routes, channels

Manpower shortage hits hard project implementation

Many dredgers have been lying idle due to inadequate workforce

Revival of the country’s major river routes and channels, which is among the prime minister’s priority projects, is advancing at snail’s pace due to the lack of manpower to run dredgers and auxiliary vessels, according to sources in the shipping ministry. 
The slow pace of dredging has led to poor navigability of river and ferry routes such as Paturia, Daulatdia and Kewrakandi, they said.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) had proposed to the public administration ministry on July 6, 2010, through the shipping ministry, the creation of 361 posts. But the request has remained unresolved for the past six years, apparently for technical reasons, the sources told The Independent.
The BIWTA had sent four revised proposals at the public administration ministry’s behest after making the suggested changes, they said.
The file, sent by the shipping ministry for the fourth time on October 5, is now said to be with a deputy secretary of the public administration ministry, awaiting approval.
According to BIWTA sources, many dredgers and related vessels have been lying idle due to inadequate manpower and could develop faults because of disuse.
The BIWTA’s dredging fleet comprises 21 dredgers and 112 other vessels.
“We're facing an acute manpower shortage. We operate our dredgers and vessels by shuffling the existing manpower,” Commodore M Mozammel Huq, chairman of the BIWTA, told The Independent.
Huq conceded that the shortage of manpower was hampering the Prime Minister’s priority project of national dredging work. “We urgently need additional manpower to implement the government’s capital dredging projects and to maintain the navigability of the country’s waterways,” he said.
Twenty more dredgers would be added to the BIWTA dredger fleet soon, he added.
“A total of 26 dredger operators are needed to work in two shifts. There is a shortage of manpower in our dredger fleet,” MA Matin, BIWTA chief engineer (dredging), told The Independent yesterday. The BIWTA had appointed 182 people to operate seven dredgers procured in 1975 by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 
Now, 21 dredgers are run with the same staff strength of 182 personnel, when 361 more people are needed to run the present fleet, thus slowing down dredging work, sources added.
“A meeting has been called on November 2 to discuss the matter,” Saleh Ahmad Mozaffar, deputy secretary, public administration ministry, told this correspondent.
The BIWTA is now working on 53 river-routes under the capital dredging project—one of the Prime Minister’s priority programmes.

Revival of major river routes, channels

Manpower shortage hits hard project implementation

Many dredgers have been lying idle due to inadequate workforce

Revival of the countrys major river routes and channels, which is among the prime ministers priority projects, is advancing at snails pace due to the lack of manpower to run dredgers and auxiliary vessels, according to sources in the shipping ministry. The slow pace of dredging has led to poor navigability of river and ferry routes such as Paturia, Daulatdia and Kewrakandi, they said. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) had proposed to the public administration ministry on July 6, 2010, through the shipping ministry, the creation of 361 posts. But the request has remained unresolved for the past six years, apparently for technical reasons, the sources told The Independent. The BIWTA had sent four revised proposals at the public administration ministrys behest after making the suggested changes, they said. The file, sent by the shipping ministry for the fourth time on October 5, is now said to be with a deputy secretary of the public administration ministry, awaiting approval. According to BIWTA sources, many dredgers and related vessels have been lying idle due to inadequate manpower and could develop faults because of disuse. The BIWTAs dredging fleet comprises 21 dredgers and 112 other vessels. Were facing an acute manpower shortage. We operate our dredgers and vessels by shuffling the existingmanpower, Commodore M Mozammel Huq, chairman of the BIWTA, told The Independent. Huq conceded that the shortage of manpower was hampering the Prime Ministers priority project of national dredging work. We urgently need additional manpower to implement the governments capital dredging projects and to maintain the navigability of the countrys waterways, he said. Twenty more dredgers would be added to the BIWTA dredger fleet soon, he added. A total of 26 dredger operators are needed to work in two shifts. There is a shortage of manpower in our dredger fleet, MA Matin, BIWTA chief engineer (dredging), told The Independent yesterday. The BIWTA had appointed 182 people to operate seven dredgers procured in 1975 by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Now, 21 dredgers are run with the same staff strength of 182 personnel, when 361 more people are needed to run the present fleet, thus slowing down dredging work, sources added. A meeting has been called on November 2 to discuss the matter, Saleh Ahmad Mozaffar, deputy secretary, public administration ministry, told this correspondent. The BIWTA is now working on 53 river-routes under the capital dredging projectone of the Prime Ministers priority programmes.