Reza Mahmud :
A good numbers of unfit launches and other water crafts are getting ready to transport Eid passengers to southern districts from Dhaka and Chattogram.
But it risks accidents on account of probable stormy weather.
“The launches and other water crafts owner are found busy to reform their unfit vessels in different dock yards across the country to transport Eid passengers,” Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, the Secretary General of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity told The New Nation on Saturday.
He said the launches have average capacity of boarding three thousand passengers, but they load nearly 10 thousand passengers, especially during Eid vacations.
“It is difficult to calculate the number of passengers in overcrowded vessels during Eid vacations,” he said.
Mozammel Haque said, “The Eid holidays in this year we are observing in stormy weather. The vessel owners have planned to sail more than 40 years old launches which invite serious risk for the Eid passengers.”
The expert wants the authority to start strong surveillance to stop cruising of the unfit watercrafts ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
According to the ISO-1976, the vessels and water transports of more than 40 years are unfit to sail on.
But the experts said, there are wide gap between the number of passengers and the launch capacity especially in Eid vacations.
The transport owners use it as great chances to make money, carrying passengers by unfit vehicles.
Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said, not only launches, but the goods carrying trawlers also transport passengers in river routes due to shortages of passenger vehicles which pose serious risks of accident in this monsoon.
The related sources said many unfit launches are running between Mawa-Kawrakanda and Paturia-Daulatdia ghats.
Besides this, many of such vessels are also carrying passengers from Sadharghat Terminal.
One launch which is cruising between Naryanganj and Chandpur was manufactured in 1960, another launch cruising between Narayanganj and Munshiganj manufactured in 1974 and two others in 1964 and 1973.
Munir Hossain, a passenger from Sadarghat said, “I and my family members observe Eid in our village home in Barisal. But I am afraid as the unfit vessels are in the river this year.”
He said there are many unregistered vessels in the rivers.
When contacted, Commodore Mohammad Mozammel Haque, Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority told The New Nation on Saturday, “There is no chance to sail on unfit and unregistered water transports during Eid journey.”
He said the authority will be highest alert to stop all unregistered and unfit vessels in every route.
A good numbers of unfit launches and other water crafts are getting ready to transport Eid passengers to southern districts from Dhaka and Chattogram.
But it risks accidents on account of probable stormy weather.
“The launches and other water crafts owner are found busy to reform their unfit vessels in different dock yards across the country to transport Eid passengers,” Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, the Secretary General of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity told The New Nation on Saturday.
He said the launches have average capacity of boarding three thousand passengers, but they load nearly 10 thousand passengers, especially during Eid vacations.
“It is difficult to calculate the number of passengers in overcrowded vessels during Eid vacations,” he said.
Mozammel Haque said, “The Eid holidays in this year we are observing in stormy weather. The vessel owners have planned to sail more than 40 years old launches which invite serious risk for the Eid passengers.”
The expert wants the authority to start strong surveillance to stop cruising of the unfit watercrafts ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
According to the ISO-1976, the vessels and water transports of more than 40 years are unfit to sail on.
But the experts said, there are wide gap between the number of passengers and the launch capacity especially in Eid vacations.
The transport owners use it as great chances to make money, carrying passengers by unfit vehicles.
Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said, not only launches, but the goods carrying trawlers also transport passengers in river routes due to shortages of passenger vehicles which pose serious risks of accident in this monsoon.
The related sources said many unfit launches are running between Mawa-Kawrakanda and Paturia-Daulatdia ghats.
Besides this, many of such vessels are also carrying passengers from Sadharghat Terminal.
One launch which is cruising between Naryanganj and Chandpur was manufactured in 1960, another launch cruising between Narayanganj and Munshiganj manufactured in 1974 and two others in 1964 and 1973.
Munir Hossain, a passenger from Sadarghat said, “I and my family members observe Eid in our village home in Barisal. But I am afraid as the unfit vessels are in the river this year.”
He said there are many unregistered vessels in the rivers.
When contacted, Commodore Mohammad Mozammel Haque, Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority told The New Nation on Saturday, “There is no chance to sail on unfit and unregistered water transports during Eid journey.”
He said the authority will be highest alert to stop all unregistered and unfit vessels in every route.
