Bipasha tragedy

At least 33 lives were lost when a small passenger vessel, named, MV Bipasha, capsized in the river Meghna near Sarail under Brahmanbaria last Thursday. The 30-year old vessel, which was reportedly carrying passengers more than the authorized number, sank when it had hit a submerged cargo vessel. Compared to the large number of people getting killed on the roads and highways across the country every year, the number of lives claimed by ferry boat accidents annually is low. However, every life is precious, no matter how it is lost. But, unfortunately, neither the operators of passenger vessels nor the authorities responsible for managing road or river transports are interested in making traveling by roads and river ways safe and secure. The latest motor vessel accident in Meghna is a case in point. When the vessel in question capsized, the media, as usual, took the trouble of knowing the details about it. The vessel being 30 years old was not fully fit for commercial operation. Yet it was given 'conditional' survey certificate. It did not, as happens in most cases, have in its possession the required number of lifebuoys, fire-extinguishers and sandbags. In fact, no passenger vessel, big or small, does have the required number of passengers' safety equipment and the owners have been freely playing with the safety of thousands of passengers as the government agencies concerned for understandable reasons are prone to showing a soft attitude towards the flouters of rules and regulations. Since the Bipasha sank as it had hit a submerged cargo vessel, the obvious question that one would ask is, whether there was any marker to caution other river transports about the submerged cargo vessel. Local people have claimed that there was none. But the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) officials have claimed otherwise saying that they did put a cautionary marker, and thieves might have removed it. It is difficult to know who did what. But the accident again highlights the fact that the passengers have been left to the mercy of the operators and owners of motor vessels, not to forget the indifference on the part of the official agencies concerned. As a matter of tradition, the shipping ministry has constituted a committee with its own officials to probe into the Bipasha accident. Here the outcome of investigation can be easily foretold; the report of this committee like that of 863 other committees formed before, would also be pushed under the rug of the ministry. In fact, the formation of probe committees is aimed at hoodwinking the people and all concerned are aware of it. But the probe bodies formed earlier had made valuable suggestions such as increasing the number of ship surveyors, inspectors, regular fitness checking and formation of river police. But the most important element, of course, is the proper enforcement of the rules and regulations and ensuring punishment to the violators of the same. Even honest enforcement of the existing laws that are considered inadequate, to some extent, in the case of river transports can bring about a sea change in the attitude of the operators of passenger vessels. But it is this area where the main problem lies.