Launch tragedies
Saturday, 5 December 2009
E. R. Bhuiyan
AGAIN, the joyous occasion of the Eid festival has been punctuated by the sadness of the tragedy of a launch capsizing. The incident led to confirmed deaths of 77 persons and reported missing of about hundred persons. The missing ones are very likely to be found dead also with the finding of their bodies. The launch MV Coco turned turtle and sank in the evening of Eid day and the singular reason for it was the awfully overloaded conditions of the river craft. It has maximum carrying capacity of 400 persons safely but was overloaded with over 2,500 passengers when the mishap occurred.
From too much congestion on its desks, the passengers turned restless and many of them started moving from side to side. This caused the overburdened launch to tilt and sink near the shore. According to reports, the launch was in this precarious condition ever since its journey began. First of all, its operators had allowed a far greater number than normal to board it to pocket the additional fares. Furthermore, people on river banks were allowed to come on board throughout the journey although the hopelessly overloaded conditions of the launch was so apparent. It was even reported that the association of launch operators had schemed to restrict the number of launches that would be allowed to operate on that fateful route in order to maximise profits for their vessels, notwithstanding that the move would create overcrowding and enhance the risks for passengers. Besides, it appears now that the launch was made four-storied to accommodate more passengers although for safe operations it could be no more than a two-storied one.
Now, all of these aspects need to be investigated and acted upon urgently and effectively. Launch tragedies like this one and on similar grounds continue to be recurrent incidents in Bangladesh. Every time such a tragedy occurs, the authorities try to console affected people and all others by reiterating their resolve to get at the root of such accidents and take really effective measures to guard against the same in the future. But the commitments are made in the public view to be only forgotten must uncaringly. Therefore, there is every possibility of a similar charade in the coming days in relation to the latest lunch tragedy. But it should be the responsibility of the present government to demonstrate through hard actions that it really cares and would not let matters rest till the perpetrators of the current tragedy have been charged appropriately for their guilt. And the guilty ones, so identified, must be penalised befittingly through the due processes of the law.
In the longer run, the authorities will have to absolutely set up a system in place and maintain it efficiently through proper vigilance and law enforcement to ensure that conditions for launch disaster such as overloading cannot be created. Apart from this, they must look into such things as the real fitness of the river crafts, changes brought about in their structures that go against safety needs, the permissible length of their operational life, etc. There should be also a properly functioning system at all launch terminals to stop launches from starting off on their journeys amid risks of inclement weather conditions like fog and storms. Specially, during the two Eid festivals, the relevant ministries should set up a special coordinated team to watch over an integrated system for ensuring safety of movement on the country's inland waterways. At every level, proactive and scrupulous discharge of their duties by the law enforcers should be targeted.
AGAIN, the joyous occasion of the Eid festival has been punctuated by the sadness of the tragedy of a launch capsizing. The incident led to confirmed deaths of 77 persons and reported missing of about hundred persons. The missing ones are very likely to be found dead also with the finding of their bodies. The launch MV Coco turned turtle and sank in the evening of Eid day and the singular reason for it was the awfully overloaded conditions of the river craft. It has maximum carrying capacity of 400 persons safely but was overloaded with over 2,500 passengers when the mishap occurred.
From too much congestion on its desks, the passengers turned restless and many of them started moving from side to side. This caused the overburdened launch to tilt and sink near the shore. According to reports, the launch was in this precarious condition ever since its journey began. First of all, its operators had allowed a far greater number than normal to board it to pocket the additional fares. Furthermore, people on river banks were allowed to come on board throughout the journey although the hopelessly overloaded conditions of the launch was so apparent. It was even reported that the association of launch operators had schemed to restrict the number of launches that would be allowed to operate on that fateful route in order to maximise profits for their vessels, notwithstanding that the move would create overcrowding and enhance the risks for passengers. Besides, it appears now that the launch was made four-storied to accommodate more passengers although for safe operations it could be no more than a two-storied one.
Now, all of these aspects need to be investigated and acted upon urgently and effectively. Launch tragedies like this one and on similar grounds continue to be recurrent incidents in Bangladesh. Every time such a tragedy occurs, the authorities try to console affected people and all others by reiterating their resolve to get at the root of such accidents and take really effective measures to guard against the same in the future. But the commitments are made in the public view to be only forgotten must uncaringly. Therefore, there is every possibility of a similar charade in the coming days in relation to the latest lunch tragedy. But it should be the responsibility of the present government to demonstrate through hard actions that it really cares and would not let matters rest till the perpetrators of the current tragedy have been charged appropriately for their guilt. And the guilty ones, so identified, must be penalised befittingly through the due processes of the law.
In the longer run, the authorities will have to absolutely set up a system in place and maintain it efficiently through proper vigilance and law enforcement to ensure that conditions for launch disaster such as overloading cannot be created. Apart from this, they must look into such things as the real fitness of the river crafts, changes brought about in their structures that go against safety needs, the permissible length of their operational life, etc. There should be also a properly functioning system at all launch terminals to stop launches from starting off on their journeys amid risks of inclement weather conditions like fog and storms. Specially, during the two Eid festivals, the relevant ministries should set up a special coordinated team to watch over an integrated system for ensuring safety of movement on the country's inland waterways. At every level, proactive and scrupulous discharge of their duties by the law enforcers should be targeted.