A civil committee formed to probe MV Abhijan-10 fire on Sugandha River in Jhalokathi has found evidence against 12 people including four Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) officials and four launch owners of neglect in performing their duties.
The shadow probe body has made 25-point recommendations to prevent such incident and ensure punishment for the people those are responsible for the tragic incident.
Ashish Kumar Dey, chief coordinator of the shadow probe body, disclosed the information and placed the recommendations at a press conference in Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Saturday (January 22).
Abu Naser Khan, convener of the committee and chairman of Paribesh Bachao Andolan (Poba), and Aminur Rasul Babul, member secretary of the committee, were also present at the press conference.
Speaking at the press conference, Abu Naser Khan said, “Our aim is to make sure that the government-formed probe committee should identify those involved and punish them. We also aim to point out the loopholes in such cases.”
The government should take immediate action against those responsible for the accident, he added. The 25 recommendations placed by the civil committee include not only the owners, master and drivers of the launch must be brought to justice, but all those involved in the tragedy have to be punished too. Otherwise, the tendency to neglect one’s duties will increase day by day and accidents won’t reduce.
The recommendations also include enactment of a law to compensate the families of victims and the injured in accidents, providing and ensuring compensation of the victims of launch fire, the amount of money should be collected from the compensation money from the persons responsible for the accident (ship owner/master/driver/government official).
The committee recommended that every passenger vessel must have own Ansar and VDP members/security guards. Installations of required number of cameras in crucial places of the vessel including engine room, entrance must to be ensured.
In order to make sure that the fire safety system is in order in a vessel, clearance from the fire service department must be taken. Fire service must check if it is in order every three months.
The three-storied MV Abhijan-10 carrying around 700 to 800 passengers caught fire on Sugandha River at Gabkhan-Dhansiri area under Jhalokati Sadar Upazila in the wee hours on December 24. The launch, which was travelling to Barguna from the capital Dhaka, was in the mid-river when it caught fire.
At least 42 people were killed in the massive launch blaze.