Passenger launches to come under fitness survey

The government has decided to conduct a thorough assessment of fitness of all passenger launches for the sake of safe waterway journeys to avoid recurrent accidents, official sources said.
A five-member committee, headed by engineer and ship surveyor of the Department of Shipping (DoS) was formed recently to survey again the passenger launches aiming to stop plying of illegal and faulty vessels without fitness, they added.
Other members of the committee are the superintendent engineer of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), a representative of the Bangladesh Navy,
representatives from district administration and district police concerned.    
The committee has been asked to primarily examine the sunken deck launches and the passenger launches having length up to 50 metres and later all the vessels in phases.
It will also examine on the ground the overall state of launches including inclining report, drawing, gazing report, route permit, manning, steering condition, life-saving instruments, and engine condition and take necessary legal actions.
The fresh survey will have to be conducted in presence of the head of the committee and at least two other members.
At first, the committee will carry out survey work in Mawa, Sadarghat, Narayanganj, and Aricha Ghat area and later visit other river ports to check the conditions of passenger launches.
The committee has been asked to submit report on their survey in every 20 days and a full-fledged report after completion of the work.
A senior official at the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) told the FE that the BIWTA officials have been assigned to keep watch on the fitness of passenger launches regularly.
But they are found reluctant in carrying out their duties. Thus many faulty launches ply putting lives of passengers at risk, he said.
"The passenger launches are supposed to take permission from the BIWTA officials before starting every voyage. Had the BIWTA official concerned been alert, the launch capsize near Mawa Ghat could have been avoided," he said.
However, a senior BIWTA official said it lacks adequate number of manpower to keep watch on passenger launches.
He said the authority has a very nominal number of inspectors empowered to carry out regular checking of water transports.
Capsize of passenger launches during rainy season has become very common in the country.
During the first week of August, a passenger launch carrying over 200 passengers sank near Mawa Ghat. Nearly 36 bodies could be recovered while many remained missing. Even the ill-fated launch could not be traced out.