The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Speakers at a press conference on Tuesday urged the government for undertaking an integrated efforts to ensure safe inland water transport in the country by rearranging and strengthening the present inspection system.

They called upon the government for identifying the risky water routes and unfit and unsafe launches plying at present and fixing a timeframe for withdrawing from the routes in order to avoid frequent river accidents and save a large number of lives.

They were speaking at a press conference on "Safe Water Transport" organised by the Safe Water Way Implementation Movement at the National Press Club here.

Member Secretary of the Safe Water Way Implementation Movement Md Aminur Rasul read out the written statement at the conference. Leaders of the organisation Shahadat Islam Chowdhury, Azizul Islam, Monir Ahmed Shubra, Shah Zaman Dulal, Sharmin Islam Daisy, Rafiqul Alam and AM Feroz Hossain also spoke.

Highlighting various irregularities in the inland water transports Aminur Rasul said, most of the water transports in the country do not have fitness and these vessels were not made following the proper design. Besides, most of the crews are not skilled and they lack proper awareness.

As a result, a total of 529 launches faced accident in the country during last 31 years, of which about 70 percent were unfit and made violating the appropriate design, he said adding that if the vessels were made as per the design, then the risk of sinking the water vessels could be minimised.

Aminur Rasul also emphasised the need for formulating an inland waterway transport guideline in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Mentioning that a total of over five thousand river vessels in the country are operative illegally, he said, out of 7,873 river vessels, the fitness of only 2,423 were tested although it is mandatory to examine fitness of all vessels officially.

The launch owners overload the vessels with passengers beyond the capacity, he said adding, they also collect excessive fare from the passengers violating the rates fixed by the government.

Md Aminur Rasul urged the government for raising the allocations in the budget for improving transport in the waterways by increasing the skill of the crews, increasing the manpower for inspection of the launches and for undertaking measures to reduce accidents in the waterways in the coastal areas.

He also demanded amendment to the Inland River Ordinance 1976 with the provisions that the persons responsible for accidents could be brought under legal actions and the families of the victims could be compensated.

For reducing the loss of lives in waterway accidents he suggested for constituting taskforce of the rescuers at the land near the banks of the rivers and arranging their regular training so that more people could be rescued.

He also demanded providing of life jackets proportionately to the number of the passengers in every launch and ensuring the radio communication system in all river vessels at the same frequency and forecasting the weather report.