ASHUTOSH SARKAR

It has been nine years since the High Court delivered a verdict directing authorities to provide compensation to families of victims of the capsize of Launch MV Nasrin-1 in 2003.

However, the families have yet to receive any payment as compensation, as an appeal against the HC’s judgement in the case remains pending with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, despite no stay order being issued on the HC verdict.

MV Nasrin-1, a Bhola-bound triple-decker from Dhaka that was deemed unfit, capsized with 700 on board at the confluence of Padma, Meghna and Dakatia rivers in Chandpur on July 8, 2003, leaving 110 people dead, about 200 missing and many others injured.

The launch owner also died in the incident, according to a government investigation report.

Following the launch accident, the deputy commissioner of Chandpur published a list of 400 people who were affected by the incident. Accordingly, the shipping and disaster trustee boards gave Tk 15,000-20,000 to the families of the injured and deceased persons.

In 2004, on behalf of the victims, BLAST filed a case with the 3rd Joint District Judge’s Court of Dhaka, claiming that the compensation was inadequate. More than Tk 28.93 crore was demanded as compensation in the case, where the number of the deceased was mentioned as 171. The case was sent to the 7th Joint District Judge’s Court in 2012.

In its verdict on February 2, 2016, the Dhaka court asked the government to give Tk 17.11 crore to the families of the affected people -- 170 deceased and one injured -- within 60 days.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and the launch owners’ association filed a revision petition against the verdict on October 24, 2016.

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