Disorder rules on the waterways of the country because according to the department of shipping 10,000 registered marine vessels operate on our rivers while some 20,000 unfit vessels ply them without registration or fitness certificate. This flies in the face of the Shipping Minister’s statement on September 28 in parliament that there are no unfit passenger launches operating in the country. Unfit vessels are the primary reason why there are so many fatalities on our rivers as launches sink with disturbing regularity. The excuse by authorities that unfit vessels area allowed to operate to meet public demand is unacceptable given the hundreds of lives being lost yearly. According to the law, the BIWTA is supposed to check the registration and fitness certificates issue by the shipping department prior to issuing route permits.
Indeed, the shipping department has no exact figures as to how many thousands of such unfit vessels are operating in the country. In fact, vessels with faulty designs are found to be running, and there is little by way of inspection to check whether they have permits and certificates to begin with.
Hence, we find ourselves in a situation where local water routes have thousands of vessels that operate without requisite papers, whose designs by way of architecture and engines are faulty, and which meet accidents due to overloading or are unfit to take on the weather conditions. All these anomalies are due to a serious lack of oversight by the very authorities that are entrusted with the task of making sure that vessels which do not meet safety standards, are not allowed to put people’s lives in danger.
Source: The Daily Star
