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Faulty, old launches get facelift

Raises risks in journey on river routes

Pankaj Karmakar
Like in the previous years, around 100 faulty launches are getting quick fixes in docks of Keraniganj during Ramadan this year so that those could be pressed on service to ferry Eid holidaymakers.
The Department of Shipping, the government body to regulate water transport, has issued notices and instructions upon many of these launches for repairs. It had said repairs were needed to obtain their fitness certificates.
In the last one month, the department's Ship Surveyor Shahdat Hossain identified over two dozen faulty launches sailing to different destinations from Dhaka.
"We have issued notices to over 15 launches, which have major faults, and we gave verbal directives to the rest of the launches, which have minor faults, to have them repaired immediately," he said.
MVKeya-1, MVJamal-3, MVAlWalid, MVTarika-7, MV Prince of Barisal, MV Shahidut MV Prince of Russel and MV Suressor-2 were among the 15thatreceivednotices.
"These launches have faults either in their engines, bodies or hulls. Without repairs, we will not renew their fitness certificates. In many cases, minor faults can also cause major accidents. No launch will be allowed to ply without fitness certificate, " said Shahdat.
Aiming to cashin on the Eid rush, these launches are getting repairs done hastily, with the possibility of errors and weakness remaining, viewed some workers of the docks.
Visiting several docks in Keraniganj, it was noticed that several hundred workers were busy repairing and repainting vessels in a hurry as the owners directed them
to complete the job within the shortestpossible time.
"We are burdened with huge workload. We will have to complete the job within the next one week..," said Monir Hossain, a welder who was working on MV Shahidut that plies between Dhaka and Hularhat.
"We are trying our best but there may be mistakes or errors due to the rush because I am a human being," said Monir.
Department of Shipping Director General Commodore Jobair Ahmad said, "I know that before Eid some launches, whose fitness certificates have expired or those that have faults, start hectic repairs to get their fitness certificates because of the demand for vessels.
"But I have directed surveyors and inspectors to inspect vessels properly and not give fitness certificates until a launch is 100 percent okay," said the director general.
Many launch staff claimed that they repair and refurbish their launches before Eid as part of their regular maintenance activities, to renew their fitness certificates and to attract passengers during the Eid rush.
Hara Kumar Das, manager of MVLali, said, "Before every Eid we repair our vessel. We have already applied for fitness certificate. We hope to get it after repairs."
In previous years, it was noticed that unfit, unregistered and overloaded vessels operated on the country'sriveis
andaccidentshappened.
MV Koko-4 on November 27, 2009, sank in Bhola due to overloading that took the lives of 77 and over 100 went missing. Unfit launch ML Raipura sank on May 17, 2005, in the Jamuna near Aricha killing 100 people.
According to statistics of Green Club of Bangladesh, a non-government organisation, at least 2,404 passengers were killed and 703 still remain missing in 411 accidents between2002 and2011.
However, the government statistics claimed that 1,544 were killed and 211 remain missing in 265 accidents during the same period.
Around 8 lakh people leave the capital in the last 7 days of Ramadan through Sadarghat Launch Terminal,