2003 Launch Disaster: Victims’ families yet to get any compensation

The High Court over four years ago had asked the authorities concerned to give within 60 days a compensation of Tk 17.11 crore to the families of the victims of a 2003 launch accident in the Meghna river.

Upholding a lower court verdict, the HC in a judgment in 2017 ruled that the family of each of the 110 dead would get Tk 10 lakh, and each injured would get Tk 1 lakh. It also ordered Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and a launch owners' association to pay the compensation.

Fifty-five months went by, but the victim families are yet to receive the compensation. This is because an appeal against the HC verdict has been pending with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, although there is no stay order on the HC judgement.

The ill-fated MV Nasrin-1 capsized on July 8, 2003 at the confluence of the Padma, Meghna and Dakatia rivers in Chandpur, leaving more than 100 people dead, about 200 missing and many others injured.

The "unfit" three-deck vessel was on its way to Bhola from Dhaka with about 700 passengers. The launch owner also died in the accident, according to a government investigation report.

ZI Khan Panna, a lawyer for Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), which is a party in the case, said that BITWA and the association have not given any compensation to the victim families, as an appeal filed by them is pending with the Appellate Division.

Following the launch accident, then Chandpur deputy commissioner had published a list of 400 people who were affected by the incident.

The Shipping and Disaster Trustee Board gave Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 to the families of the dead and injured as immediate assistance.

In 2004, the BLAST, on behalf of the victims, filed a case with the Third Joint District Judge's Court of Dhaka, claiming that the compensation was not adequate. The case was sent to the Seventh Joint District Judge's Court in 2012.

Four years later, the court delivered a verdict, asking the government to give a compensation of Tk 17.11 crore to the victims' families within 60 days.

The BIWTA and the launch owners' association, however, filed a revision petition against the verdict on October 24, 2016.

The HC on June 5, 2017 rejected the petition and upheld the lower court judgement as it found negligence of the authorities, including BIWTA, for the accident.

The BITWA and the owners' association jointly filed a leave-to-appeal petition with the Appellate Division in 2019, seeking a stay on the HC verdict.