Anisur Rahman Khan :
The machineries of many dredgers and auxiliary vessels are about to go out of order because of being kept idle for a long time due to lack of necessary manpower in Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).
Earlier in 2020, the public Administration Ministry has approved 1601 personnel for the BIWTA to operate dredgers and auxiliary vessels, but the Finance Ministry cleared 677 personnel only to operate 24 dredgers and 126 auxiliary vessels.
Meanwhile, the BIWTA has procured 24 dredgers and 126 auxiliary vessels by spending about Tk 2,000 crore.
According to sources, hundreds of crores of taka worth assets of the BIWTA are on the verge of destruction due to lack of proper manpower.
At least 924 more people are needed at this moment to operate the dredgers and other auxiliary vessels for smooth dredging operations under capital dredging projects taken up at the directive of the Prime Minister, BIWTA sources said.
“The BIWTA has now 45 dredgers with capacity to dredge four crore cubic meters annually. Over 2000 kilometers of waterways have so far been restored under 53 important river restoration projects,” MA Matin, Chief Engineer (Dredging) of BIWTA told The New Nation on Saturday.
The government had a target to develop 10,000 kilometers of inland waterways through dredging 178 rivers aiming at restoring round-the-year navigability, he said adding that once the rivers are dredged, it would help make the inland waterways and ferry routes of the country suitable for smooth movement of ferries, launches, cargo vessels and other vessels round the year.
The country had over 24,000 km of waterways spreading across its territory, which have now shrunk to a little more than 6,000 km, BIWTA chief engineer (dredging), he added.
“We are now conducting dredging operation under capital and maintenance dredging project as per commitment of the government. But, smooth dredging work will be possible only getting the necessary manpower in this sector,” Matin said in reply to a query.
According to the Chief Engineer, now BIWTA
operating its 45 dredgers and around 126 auxiliary vessels by rearranging the existing personnel, which they are facing problems to continue dredging operations due to shortage of manpower.
The government has placed special emphasis on the river sector and instructed the BIWTA to restore the country’s silted rivers’ navigability.
The BIWTA has been implementing 53 river route projects under the capital dredging project-a priority project of the Prime Minister-with meager manpower.
Many of the dredgers and auxiliary vessels are mostly lying unused at present and it would be financially unwise to procure any more without ensuring manpower to operate them, sources said.
On January 16, 2012, the then Finance Minister AMA Muhith, had written to the planning ministry, asking for a report on the procurement of dredgers and dredging activities in the government sector. “Government-owned dredgers remain idle for most of the time, as those are never utilised properly. The dredgers are used only for some maintenance work and during dredging emergencies,” he had added.
