The most recent case in Shitalakshya, Narayanganj where a launch sank with nearly 50 passengers onboard after it was struck by the freight vessel MV Rupshi-9. According to survivors, the launch master had been warned by passengers of the approaching cargo ship -- a warning that went unheeded as he proceeded to try and overtake the vessel.
This line of thinking is no different to that of bus drivers in the city, who continuously flout the rules of the road and traffic as an ego-play, endangering the lives of their passengers and passersby in the process.
With 50 lives being lost, needless to say, it is imperative that this incident be comprehensively investigated with any and all parties responsible being punished to the fullest extent of the law.
This is only the most recent disaster for a country haunted by frequent maritime accidents that witnesses lives either lost or irreparably damaged. A number of reasons behind launch disasters in Bangladesh are often brought up whenever such accidents occur, not limited to faulty designs, lack of adequate safety measures, structural weaknesses, lack of fitness certificates or obtaining them through illegal means, weaknesses in inspection procedures, crowd congestion, disregard for weather forecasts, and just plain negligence on the part of the vessel crew.
Again, if this is beginning to sound startlingly similar to the state of our roads and highways, you are not alone.
Negligence and impunity run rampant in our society, and they often manifest in some of the most tragic ways, as far as public safety is concerned. To that end, reform is key, along with punitive actions for those responsible. Otherwise, no one is safe from a watery grave.
