20,000 vessels ply without registration, fitness certificate

This was revealed in a survey by the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), based on media reports from January 2001 to December 2003.

The numbers will be much more as the media reports only on major accidents, the CAB survey said.

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The survey report made available to this correspondent did not mention the number of people missing in accidents.

The survey claimed that more than 20,000 motorised vessels are plying without registration or fitness certificate and about 40 per cent of those are operated by Sukanis (assistants of masters).

The situation is worse in the road transport sector as a good percentage of vehicles are without fitness certificates and run by untrained drivers with false licences.

Accidents are increasing due to increase in corruption in giving licence to transport operators and their registration, the survey said.

Their owners and operators escape punishment as they allegedly manage with law enforcers after accident, it said.

Inquiry reports on 496 major launch accidents in the last 26 years were never published, nor suggestions to help check such disasters implemented, it said.

According to the CAB survey, at least 842 people were killed in nine major launch accidents and 2360 in 486 road accidents last year making a daily average of 8.77 and 8.75 respectively. A total of 3194 people were also injured in these accidents.

In 2002, at least 512 people were killed in launch disasters and 1990 in road accidents. The daily average death was 6.85. More 7797 people were injured.

In 2001, road accidents killed 1749 and injured 8570. The survey did not mention the casualty from launch accidents in 2001.

The most horrific launch disaster took place in July last year in which 600 people were killed when MV Nasrin-1 sank in the Meghna. Another 400 were killed when MV Salauddin sank in the same river in May 2002 at Shatnol. MV Subha sank in Baleswar river near Mathbaria in Pirojpur in may 2002, claiming over 200 lives.