There has been an alarming rise in trawler capsize and highway accidents in the country over the past several years and they have become a national problem nowadays. Everyday many people are becoming victims of these incidents.
Media reports on Thursday said that at least eleven people, including five children, were killed and 12 others went missing in the capsize of a passenger trawler on Gumai River adjacent to Rajnagar Haor area of Kalmakanda upazila in Netrakona on Wednesday in the latest maritime disaster. The accident took place when a passenger trawler collided head-on with a sand-laden trawler. However, the identity of the deceased could not be confirmed yet as they might have not been locals. The District Administration has sanctioned Tk 20,000 to each of the deceased’s family for conducting the burial process.
The same day, in a road mishap six people were killed in Barishal. The accident took place on Wednesday when an ambulance and a covered van collided head-on at Atipara under Wazirpur upazila of the district. Simultaneously, a Chattogram-bound bus also collided with the covered van, crashing the three vehicles altogether, and killing five persons on the spot. The deceased were passengers of the ambulance, which was going towards Jhalakathi.
For a developing country like Bangladesh, allowing its citizens to perish on roads and in waterways is not only tragic but also unacceptable. If the government plays its role and ensures that the owners and the workers in transport and river routes abide by the rules, we would have seen a different scenario. But the corruptions in BRTA and greed of the political leaders have pushed us to the edge. This is very frustrating and cruel.
It is a mystery why these two vital modes of transport system have not been revitalized yet. The government continues to turn a blind-eye to the high number of tragedies that occur on our highways and in waterways every day, despite concerns expressed by citizens of all walks of life. It is unacceptable. We call upon the government to wake up and take immediate steps to stop recurrence of such incidents.
