The salvage operation of the sunken launch Pinak-6 and the missing bodies of hapless passengers has left a number of questions unanswered. Of course, the most troubling question is if a launch that sank, according to unofficial versions, with more than 300 passengers on board is beyond detection even though it went down in midstream. The rescue vessels that came from Chittagong left rather unceremoniously after the operation was officially abandoned on the eighth day after the tragedy.
Initially an impression was given that the rescue vessels armed with advanced technology would have no difficulty to spot the launch under water. Once it even published an image of a large metallic structure and people responsible inferred that it was exactly of the size of the sunken vessel. How can a launch of this size elude a search of this order? Even the local search party using indigenous method called 'coppa' exuded confidence that they would be able to trace the launch on hitting upon something with their bricks tied to long ropes. Its divers still believe they have spotted the launch but they cannot go below half the depth of the nearly 50 feet deep water. Strong current does not help the cause.
So at a time when the Titanic wrecks have been discovered more than 12,000 ft (two and a half miles) below the surface of the Atlantic, a country, where more than 400 launch and other vessel accidents occurred in the past 25 years, cannot even find a vessel at a depth of 50 feet! This surely is a disgrace. How pathetic as well as heart-rending that the plea of near and dear ones of the victims for allowing them to have at least the solace of performing the last rites reverberates in the void over the vast expanses of the river Padma!
Is this just a failure of the rescue vessels or there is something more to this? Let there be a statement to clarify the capability of the vessels which, it was told, were equipped with advanced technology to scan the river bed. If there is no such vessel, why brag over an issue, the sensitivity of which is of a most delicate nature. If no such vessel of exploring ability is there, surely there is a need for procuring a couple of them soon. At least the chance will be bright for finding the bodies of the victims who are trapped inside such ill-fated launches and other vessels.
This surely in no way is a recipe for avoiding the riverine disasters that have claimed more than 4,000 lives in the 400 such accidents (unofficial estimates are much higher) during a period of 25 years. Nor there is any possibility of bringing the required order and discipline in the area of water transports. When one after another such accidents on the country's waterways have not been able to make a dent in the chaos that reign supreme there, is not it too much to expect that the systemic defects and weaknesses will vanish all on a sudden?
Of the total water transports registered until June last, 1014 are passenger vessels, cargo vessels are 2049, sand-carrying vessels are 3,767 and oil tankers are 242. There are unregistered vessels on top of the ones registered. But registration does not necessarily mean the vessels are perfect in design and water draft. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has identified mainly 10 reasons for such river accidents, of which defective design is a major cause. Issuance of registration without thorough check of design, draft and necessary provisions and equipment is mainly responsible for this. The insinuation here is clear: bribe money does the trick or the matter is taken casually. Safety of life hardly figures on the mental map of the authorities.
Naturally subsequent measures to ensure safety of passengers' lives are subjected to criminal neglect. Overloading is overlooked. Owners of the launches on the Dhaka-Barisal route even introduced what is called 'rotation system' to maximise profit. Not all the vessels are operated everyday and therefore they are crammed with passengers. Now one of the routine excuses for the issuance of registration without enough supervision and lack of monitoring of overloading at the jetties is shortage of staff. How long will the authorities harp on the same tune? Increasing pressure on water transports certainly demands appointment of more manpower. Income from water transports should be enough to justify such appointments. At least one traffic inspector can be stationed at each of the main jetties.
Beside overloading, there is the problem of operating vessels by untrained and inexperienced pilots (sarengs). They are so naïve that it is sports for them to ignore port signals hoisted during inclement weather. Pinak-6 launch violated such a warning. It was overloaded and also had no permission to course turbulent channels. Also this vessel was operating with token permission which is granted when the authorities cannot carry out routine survey and check.
Last but not least, lawsuits filed against the erring owners and operators mostly wait long for their disposal. So far 308 such cases have been filed but no trial has been held for more than half of those. Even the punishment awarded is light considering the enormity of the tragedy. Three years' jail sentence and a fine of Tk 30,000 have been the maximum punishment. This is yet another area where law should be made tougher so that violators of law and other provisions think twice before defying the set rules.
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