Launches cruise thru' risky zones defying warnings

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BHOLA, June 16: Passenger ferry services continue to cruise the 'danger zones' in the estuary of the river Meghna defying government warnings, thus raising the possibility of accidents, reports bdnews24.com.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) banned operations of passenger ferries from March 15 through the next seven months in the Bhola-Lakshmipur Meghna estuarine zone in the Bay's mouth.
The zones marked 'risky for passenger launches' cover the area from Ilisha point in Bhola district, Doulatkhan's Mirza Kalu, reaching across the Meghna down to Lakshmipur's Char Alexander and Moju Chowdhury's Ghat.
The ban was imposed following a number of accidents in the zones, including one in which over 1000 people drowned a few years back when launches ML Dipkannya and ML Falguni sank.
But the embargo remains confined to papers as the operators continue to negotiate the risky waters.
The passenger ferries that still operate on the out-of-bounds Doulatkhan-Alexander route include MV DS Khali, Beauty of Dipanchal and Ramgoti Express.
The operators argue that the embargo applied to smaller vessels and that their vessels were all at least 65-foot in height.
Golam Azam Pauline, owner of Beauty of Dipanchal, said that they had informed the BIWTA of their position on the issue through a legal notice.
Faiz Ahmed, the upazila nirbahi officer of Doulatkhan, said the operators are breaching the government orders.
He assured the BIWTA of cooperation if it moved to make the operators conform to the restrictions in public interest.
Sea transport sources said vessels with height one-third of their length and having government permit only can operate on those routes.
Only MV Kutubdia has been given the route-permit to negotiate the risky waters on specific conditions, they added.