Editorial
Pressure on waterway transport
Ban faulty launches, stop overloading to avoid mishaps
Every year the Eid-eve rush is a regular occurrence on the river routes. But this time the rundown highways, refusal of the drivers to ply on damaged roads and bus journey taking longer than usual to reach destinations have further increased the pressure on the riverine service. General paucity of buses is another reason for mounting stress on the waterway transports. Around 10 to 12 lakh people leave Dhaka in the seven days before Eid, but this year the number is likely to shoot up increasing the chance of overloading and accidents.
Many faulty launches have been pressed into service hurriedly by applying patches and new coats of paint instead of thorough repairs. This is where we are genuinely concerned. Unscrupulous owners operate the faulty launches in collusion with officials of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and the Department of Shipping (DOS). A vessel can carry 800 to 1,500 passengers on an average, during Eid the number will go up three to four times.
Moreover, the rivers are full to the brim now. Therefore, there lies the risk of capsize and collisions between launches due to poor weather conditions, putting lives of hundreds of passengers, including children and women in danger. Over the last two decades more than 6,000 passengers were killed in 535 launch accidents.
In view of the gravity of the situation, the High Court has issued a set of directives on the government to take steps to prevent accidents on waterways, especially during Eid.
The concerned authorities must now take all measures to put unfit launches out of service, ensure fitness of the ones in operation, guarantee that the designs conform to the standards. They should also make sure that the launches have all safety arrangements and are operated by qualified personnel.
Monitoring at the terminals by the law enforcing agency members should be heightened to prevent overloading. The law breakers must not be shown any mercy and ought to be dealt with utmost severity.
We have already had too many accidental deaths on the highways and waterways, it's time, the authorities and the operators realise that human lives are precious than mere profit-making.
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