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REPORT CARD ON MINISTERS

Stalled plans, unmet pledges riddle Akbar’s tenure

RAFIQ HASAN
Despite repeated promises to improve the ailing shipping sector, Shipping Minister Akbar Hossain has implemented hardly any reforms there in the last four years.
He also conveniently forgot to keep his pledge to tender resignation if there were any major launch disaster in the country, even though several disasters killed people in hundreds afterwards.
UNMET PROMISES
Stalled plans and broken promises riddle Akbar's ministerial track in the
coalition government.
His ministry undertook construction of a circular waterway around the capital to take some pressure off the city's road traffic. Half of the waterway, from Sadarghat to Ashulia, was inaugurated in March last amid much fanfare, but has remained unused, as the route was closed immediately after the opening due mainly to scarcity of vessels and lack of public interest.
The project appears to have fizzled out, as the construction work of the other half of the waterway, from Ashulia to Kanchpur, is
FROM PAGE 1 yet to start.
Likewise, an initiative to set up 10 radar stations has for long been put on ice, awaiting clearance from the defence ministry. Another drive to install echo sound systems and solid ballast to bring balance to motor launches has also become unlikely to be implemented in face of strong opposition from the launch owners.
The minister also promised to introduce a local classification society to categorise vessels. After three years of official procedures, the government has recently selected three private companies as members of the society. However, nobody knows when it will be able to start working.
Another promise has also been running from desk to desk for three years. It is to buy two powerful rescue vessels from South Korea. The government hopes to issue the purchase order next November, but the vessels are unlikely to arrive in the next year.
Other stalled projects include procurement of an adequate number of dredgers, introduction of marine passengers' life insurance, stopping over-loading of vessels, preventing launch passengers from travelling sitting on the roof, banning carrying cargo on the deck, regular survey of vessels and banning construction of vessels at unregistered dockyards.
However, the ministry claims all the above drives are at various stages of implementation.
KILLING LAUNCH DISASTERS
According to unofficial estimates over 6,000 people have died in the major launch disasters since the independence and almost half of them died in the last five years. The official death toll however is 3,120 in 261 major launch disasters since 1977.
According to sources, the death tolls started rising and scores of people died every year since Akbar Hossain took over the shipping ministry in October 2001.
“The country witnessed 11 major launch disasters, killing around 3,000 people in the last three and a half years. The figures are shocking, considering that nearly the same numbers of accidents and deaths happened in the long 30 years after the independence,” said Mohammad Badiuzzaman Badal, vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Inland Water Passenger Carriers Association.
He alleged the number of accidents was on the rise in the last few years because the government has not fulfilled any of its commitments for improving the sector.
Immediately after taking office, Akbar Hossain in a function at Hotel Purbani International on February 10, 2002 made a series of commitments, including buying a dredger, collecting salvage vessels and forming a revolving fund for the launch owners. But no-one of those has been kept, Badiuzzaman Badal said.
The BIWTA recorded recovery of 1,221 bodies killed in nine major launch disasters since 2002. But many bodies also were washed away after the accidents and remained unrecorded, meaning the official death toll may not be accurate, sources surmised.
On the reason for the rising frequency of launch disasters during his tenure, Akbar Hossain told The Daily Star it was simply his bad luck. “Certainly the shipping minister himself did not sink any vessel,” he quipped.
According to his explanation the capacity of the vessels was less in the past and so the number of casualties was also less. He then argued, “As the capacity of the launches have increased in the recent times, the number of casualties have also risen.”
The series of recent launch disasters began with the head-on collision between MV Jalkaupot and MV Rajhangsi near Chandpur in 2000. According to official figures, a total of 222 people died in the accident.
In 2001, only four people died in a launch disaster near Bhola.
In 2002 MV Salahuddin-2 sank, killing 245 people.
But in 2003 the death count shot up with four major launch disasters taking
place. At least 135 people died when MV Mitali-3 with over 350 passengers on board capsized in the river Buriganga, 51 died in the accident of MV Majlishpur, 30 in that of MV Sharifpur and over 500 in the MV Nasreen-1 disaster.
In 2004, MV Lighting Sun and MV Diganta capsized, killing 86 persons.
In February this year, MV Maharaj sank and 150 people died. On May 15 last, The Prince of Patuakhali capsized in the river Bura Gouranga with over 300 passengers on board. Only two days later, a nor'wester upturned another launch, MV Raipura, with over 200 passengers in the river Jamuna near Aricha.
DEMAND FOR RESIGNATION
Irked at the too many launch disasters and deaths during Akbar's tenure, people on several occasions raised their voice and demanded his resignation or removal from the ministerial chair. Many professional bodies held rallies and organised human chains, asking for his resignation or dismissal as the shipping minister.
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and Gono Forum chief Dr. Kamal Hossain also joined in the demand.
After the MV Nasreen-1 disaster in July 2003, Akbar Hossain told The Daily Star that he will tender his resignation if any more major launch disaster happen during his tenure. But though 86 people were killed in 2004 when MV Lighting Sun and MV Diganta capsized, 150 died in MV Maharaj disaster in February last and then The Prince of Patuakhali and MV Raipura sank in May, Akbar forgot his commitment. He did not quit.
SALVAGE FAILURE
Due to a continued lack of powerful salvage vessels, many of the sunken launches have not been recovered at all. According to unofficial figures, over 90 big launches, including MV Nasreen-1 and MV Raipura, remain under water since the independence.
MV Hamja and MV Rustom, the two salvage vessels of the BIWTA, has a hauling capacity of only 60 tonnes each, whereas the average weight of a double-decker launch is around 150 to 250 tonnes.
PASSENGERS
SCARED OFF
Following the series of launch disasters this year, the number of passengers has declined significantly. According to sources, on average 15,000 to 20,000 people used to travel by launches from Sadarghat launch terminal previously. But now, the number has dwindled to 10,000 to 12,000.