Playing with lives of passengers

Reckless plying of motor vessels and total disrespect to navigational laws are putting thousands of passengers at risk in the country's waterways everyday.

Big launches carrying passengers between Dhaka and southern region of the country regularly involve in 'racing' on the way willfully dashing against one another.

In one such incident at round 9 am on Tuesday, two Dhaka bound launches, Sagor-7 from Barisal and Sagor- 4 from Patuakhali, were locked in a fierce race a few km from Chandpur. With the crew of both smiling, the speeding vessels dashed against each other with loud bangs. Frightened passengers looked on helplessly as the launches sped in thick fog which restricted visibility to only about 25 yards.

Suddenly a Barisal bound launch from Chandpur, MV Supersonic, appeared in front of Sagor- 7. In a desperate bid to avoid collision, the huge passenger launch swerved left just to hit the three-decker Supersonic on its rear. This sent the vessel on the path of Sagor-4. With full throttle, Sagor-4 hit the belly of Supersonic with a loud bang.

Sources concerned at Barisal said Supersonic was badly damaged and four members of its crew were injured, two of them seriously. The two were admitted to Barisal Medical College Hospital.

"Had there been the eid rush on board Supersonic, casualties would be much higher," said a BIWTA official in Barisal quoting eyewitnesses.

BIWTA officials at Sadarghat launch terminal in the city said they had no information about the accident. Neither Sagor-4 nor Sagor-7 of Howladar Navigation Co Ltd reported it to the authorities on arrival at Sadarghat.

River port officials at Chandpur also said they did not know anything about the accident. Supersonic came from Dhaka and halted at Chandpur before leaving for Barisal, they added.

Officials concerned in Dhaka, Barisal and Chandpur admitted that they were regularly getting complaints from passengers about violation of navigational laws by water transport owners. No vessel has any life buoy on board.The owners charge higher fares from passengers at will and subject many of them to harassment.

"We have repeatedly written to Dhaka office to take action against these owners but nothing has been done as yet," said an official at Barisal river port.