Pontoon number 11 of Sadarghat. Wash and wipe clean. Rows of launch blocks at anchor. No blood stains; There is no sign of death! BIWTA traffic box is just a few hands away. At this time, the traffic department is directing a launch called MV Abhijan-3, which is going to drop anchor at the ghat. Everything was going normally.
However, 5 people lost their lives when the rope of the launch that was standing on this pontoon broke. The afternoon of Eid day does not have the form of sadness at the moment. The bloody bodies lying on the pontoons spread to the media. Sadness covers the whole country.
But in exchange for this life, order has now returned to Sadarghat. The launch workers said that even a few days ago, there was no such activity to anchor the launch at the ghat. Now the launches are anchored according to the rules.
And on Tuesday (April 16) that scene was seen at the Sadarghat launch terminal. There is no usual crowd. Barrier launches lined up at the wharf. Sometimes two passengers come but no launch leaves due to non-scheduled time.
A shipping worker who did not wish to be named told Barta24.com that there is no passenger traffic at Sadarghat since the construction of the Padma bridge. Although there were some passengers in the two Eids, people were more scared because of the unexpected accident that happened on the Eid day. Each rope weighs at least 8/10 maunds. This rope is not supposed to break easily. But the rope that broke that day was a bit weak; otherwise the accident would not have happened. Also, BIWTA officials on duty at the wharf cannot be found throughout the year. Five people died, now they come every day and ask us different questions, is it okay? Is that right? But I don't see any fault with the driver of the launch. It is normal for the launch to come to the ghat to pick up passengers. But if there is a problem with another launch here, the people of the ghat should have seen it earlier.
A visit to the Sadarghat office of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) could not find any responsible official. An employee of the office told Barta24.com that everyone went to the meeting at the head office.
Officer-in-Charge of Naval Police Sadarghat Police Station Abul Kalam told Barta24.com that BIWTA's traffic department cannot escape responsibility for the death of five passengers. They are responsible for taking care of when a launch will enter or leave the wharf, where it will anchor. It appears that the accident may have occurred mainly due to the negligence of the officer on duty at the time of the incident. If MV Farhan 4 had not allowed the launch to rush to the wharf or asked to wait. Or if the ropes of the other two launches had been loosened a little, then maybe these five lives could have been saved. A thorough investigation into the incident is underway. Nothing can be said until the investigation is over. At the end of the investigation, it will be known who was at fault.
What happened that day...
According to eyewitness accounts, at least 5 passengers died when the rope of the anchored launch broke on that day (April 11) on the day of Eid at around 3 pm. Among the dead were 1 woman, 1 child and 3 men.
The accident happened in front of pontoon number 11 of Sadarghat Launch Ghat. The MV Tashrif 4 and MV Pubali 1 launches were tied to the pontoon with two ropes. When another launch called Farhan entered between these two launches, MV Tashrif 4's launch rope broke. And that is the death of five unfortunate people. 5 lives were lost on this pontoon, where the blood stains were removed.