Editorial
Meghna launch accident
Govt needs to increase monitoring
Thursday's motor launch accident in Meghna river in Brahmanbaria is yet another instance of utter callousness of the river vessel operators towards human life.
We are deeply shocked at the loss of so many lives (33 by latest count) and convey our heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families.
The circumstances of the foundering of MV Bipasha bound for Jamalganj from Bhairab at Char Kakoria after it hit a sunken stone-laden trawler follow a very familiar pattern. The number of passengers the launch was carrying was more than its capacity. It was plying at night, though, given its age- it was about 30 years old- it should have operated only during daytime.
What should baffle any observer is that the fated launch blindly crashed against the submerged trawler. Was there no marker showing the location of the sunken trawler as a warning to other vessels plying that particular river route?
Evidently, there was no proper monitoring by the river transport authority in place. Which is why, the launch operators could flout the rules so easily. So, the responsibility for the unnatural death of so many people goes both to the operators of the vessel and the monitoring department of the river transport authority.
This latest launch tragedy only adds to some 535 mishaps that occurred between 1985 and 2010, according to a survey. The government even formed some 863 committees to probe the accidents during that period. Recommendations like increasing the number of ship surveyors and inspectors, monitoring of fitness-checking procedure, formation of river police and waterway safety committee, etc were also made by those probe bodies. So far, no progress has been made to implement those recommendations.
The government has now formed a probe committee to look into the latest launch mishap. We hope it will be able to identify the causes of the mishap and arrange for bringing those to blame to justice.
The government should now lay more emphasis on putting a proper river vessel monitoring system in place as well as implement other recommendations from previous probe bodies to avert future launch tragedies.
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