The terrible mishap

By Md Zayed Hasan Bashabo, Dhaka
10 June 2005, 18:00 PM
It seems that every year, especially when the rainy season comes, we see rescuers salvaging floating human bodies in the river! I think the readers have understood what I want to deliver about. Yes, it is launch disaster, the terrible phenomenon. It is the nightmare of launch disasters, which has damaged several other lives besides the direct victims. It's that of their kiths and kins. We have seen the pictures of their sorrows and weeping for their loved ones.

Has it become a part and parcel of our life? It may be. But the distrous phenomenon has become more aggressive in the recent four or five years. The greedy launch owners operate their vessels, loading extra passengers for money. Yet, we have not seen the authorities concerned to take any positive actions.

Ours is the land cris-crossed by rivers and canals and, of course, the main transport system is water vessels. The ordinary and poor people travel by water craft as the transportation is cheaper in cost. So we can't do away with the system, nor we, the human beings have any control on nature and weather. Bad weather can hit anytime and natural calamity is common. So the launch owners and staffs should be careful and conscious to control on their side and the authorities mindful.