Unfit, risky water vessels ready

Staff Correspondent: Unfit and risky water vessels are getting preparation to carry thousands of homebound people ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Day in, day out-a section of unscrupulous owners are busy refurbishing their rundown vessels to give them cosmetic new looks to cash in on a mad rush of passengers.

More than 25 small and large water unfit vessels were seen under repairing in Dakkhin Keraniganj.
 
Besides, the dockyards in the bank of Buriganga just opposite side of Sadar Ghat are seen busy to paint the launches. Dockyard workers are painting the vessels to create a cosmetic look.  

A repairing workshop named ‘Bismillah Marin Engineering’ owner Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan said that launch repairing work tasks become doubled during Eid. Launch owners contact with us before Eid to rent dockyard.

“It’s not our headache whether the launch has fitness certificate or not”, he added.  

Passengers from southern districts will move through these faulty and risky vessels as usual. But, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BITWA) claimed that no unfit launch or ship will run during Eid.  

The hasty repairing of outmoded and faulty vessels belying the regulators` monitoring exposes Achilles` heel in government authorities` firm commitment not to allow unfit vessels during the Eid journey.

risingbd/Dhaka/July 6, 2015/Rafiq/Nasim