Jihad Rana, Barishal Bureau
The lives of millions of passengers on the waterways are insecure. There is no controlling system if a fire catches in the vessels. Passenger and cargo vessels are running with old technology. Naval staff also have no training in firefighting.
Due to this many people lost their lives in boat accidents. In particular, the death of 44 people in the launch fire in Jhalokati is making the people concerned. The workers said that the introduction of a modern fire extinguishing system in the boat is the demand of the time.
Leaders of the launch Owners’ Association said they would take steps to introduce modern systems as well as train naval workers in firefighting. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Inland Water Transport Authority said that a fire fighting system is mandatory in all ships.
Waterways are the most important way to reach the capital Dhaka from various districts in the south-west corner of the country including Barisal. Every day millions of passengers travel to these areas by sea. The vessels plying Barisal-Dhaka, Patuakhali-Dhaka and other routes are modern and luxurious in decoration.
The economist Dr. Nazneen Ahmed recently compared the status of many boats on the Barisal-Dhaka route with ‘5 star hotels in the water’ on Facebook. Although passenger boats have been built at a cost of crores of taka to provide luxury services, there is no provision in the boats for safety of life of the passengers.
Especially in case of fire in passenger and cargo vessels, they do not have any system of immediate fire fighting in their hands. The only reliance is the old backdated fire extinguishers, sand buckets and hosepipe firefighters. Although it is possible to put out small fires with these equipment, the ships do not have their own system to control large fires. The first class master of MV Sundarban-10 launch of Barisal-Dhaka route, Md. Mujibur Rahman demanded the introduction of modern technology to save the lives of passengers and boat workers.
If there is modern technology, it will be possible to control the fire of the ship, said the first class master, Shamim Ahmed of the same route MV Parabat-11 launch. At the same time, they said that training on firefighting of ship workers is also important. At least 44 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in a fire at a launch in Jhalokati.
In order to prevent such incidents, the Fire Service and the Department of Shipping will take timely and effective steps as well as take initiative to train the ship workers in fire fighting, said the Director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (YAP), Nizam Uddin.
In this regard, the Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Commodore Golam Sadeq said, all the vessels have modern fire extinguishing systems. It is mandatory for all ships to have firefighting equipment and training of workers. If anyone violates the rules, action will be taken against them according to the rules.
The co-president of Bangladesh Inland Navigation Passenger Transport Corporation (JAP) Barisal Region and the President of the Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alhaj Saidur Rahman Rintu told Bangladesh Today, to ensure safety. “However, we can’t solve some of the issues even if we want to, but we are still trying, as if the incident of the terrible fire on the launch like Jhalakathi no longer makes us cry” he added.
At least 44 people have been killed and more than 100 passengers injured in a blaze at a launch in Jhalakati on Thursday night. Earlier, on November 12, six people were killed in an explosion on an oil tanker in Jhalokati.
Besides, one person was killed and five workers were burnt when an oil tanker exploded in the Kirtankhola river in Barisal in 2019. Hamzalal Sheikh, owner of Abhijan-10 launch, has been arrested from Keraniganj. Law enforcement officers raided and arrested him at the home of one of his relatives. An arrest warrant was issued against eight people, including four launch owners, in a case filed in a naval court over the fire. The warrant was issued by Joint District and Sessions Judge Zainab Begum on Sunday afternoon.The accused in the case are: Hamzalal Sheikh, Shamim Ahmed, Russell Ahmed and Ferdous Hasan Rabbi, four owners of the launch company Messrs. Al Araf & Company, Riaz Sikder, the master in charge of the launch, Md. Masum Billah, Second Master Khalilur Rahman and Second Driver Abul Kalam. The burn victims of MV Abhijan-10 launch undergoing treatment at the temporary burn unit of Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital are slowly recovering.Hospital authorities said 46 people were being treated on Sunday (December 28th). Eleven of them have already been given clearance. A total of 35 people are undergoing treatment on Monday. 16 of them are eligible for clearance. However, they will not be given clearance unless they themselves want to leave here voluntarily.
In addition, 3 of the remaining patients are in ICU and 16 are under the care of doctors. The authorities of Sher e Bangla Medical College further said that the doctors from Sheikh Hasina Burn Institute have performed their duties. The rest can be done by the doctors here. And the director of the hospital HM Saiful Islam said that the doctors of Dhaka will leave Barisal as soon as the government decides.Meanwhile, the patients admitted to Barisal Medical College expressed satisfaction with the treatment and said that they are feeling much better now than before.
