Speakers demand uprooting mafia from shipping sector

Speakers at a discussion in the city on Saturday demanded to uproot mafia syndicates from shipping sector for developing a safe water transport system across the country, reports UNB.

National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) organised the event marking the 4th anniversary of `ML Pinak-6 tragedy' at Purana Paltan's Mukti Bhavan in the capital.

Manzurul Ahsan Khan, a veteran politician and also a labour leader, said similar to road transport sector, the country's shipping sector has been controlled by mafia syndicates. Due to patronisation of these syndicates, four years after Pinak-6 capsize the accused persons are yet to be tried, he alleged.

Demanding the exemplary punishment of the real culprits behind the dreadful accident, Manzurul Ahsan said that water transport system would not be modernised, people-friendly and safe if mafia syndicates could not be uprooted and arrested.

Tareque Ali, head of Naval Architecture and Marin Engineering Department of The University of Engineering and Technology, remarked that there exists anarchy not only in the road transport sector, rather irregularities, mismanagement and corruption have been rampant in shipping sector as well.

Owners have to pay handsome amount of money to authority concerned to get approval of vessels' design, he alleged.

He also alleged that ship surveyors are bribed for getting registration of vessels and annual fitness and candidates have to give bribe to examination board members for taking inland mastership and driving certificates.