Assam: Jorhat boat accident describes the gap in security measures

Guwahati: Wednesday boat accident in Jorhat District Assam has exposed the Department of Water Inland Assam’s transportation that operates 102 ferry services in large rivers, including Brahmputra, without providing adequate equipment or ship safety sometimes manned by untrained personnel, pose risk Passengers as well as other boats.
On Wednesday, a woman died and the other two were still missing after a private motorized rustic boat was upside down when traveling from Majuli to Neemattiat.
Assam became a river country, a boat accident was not new.
A recent ferry accident near Guwahati in September 2018, which leads to three deaths, indicates excess loads, unreliable machines and lack of crew training to respond correctly to engine failure.
After the 2012 ferry disaster in Dhubri, the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has directed additional Secretary Secretary Jitesh Khosla to investigate the accident concluded that law enforcement estimated in the legal framework to ensure the feasibility of the river and the safety of the ship in the river is not carried out for the river in question.
The report said the reason for this was more likely to be “systematic” than individual negligence.
Khosla investigations found the state machine truly unaware of the existence and operation of the drowning vessel.
Assam has 361 Ferry – 89 routes operated by the State Government and 272 others overseeing the local (village) and district councils.
Data recorded for the Directorate of Asland Water Transport Assam (DIWTA) -Administered the ferry route for 2017-18 shows annual transportation of more than 9 million passengers and 43,000 tons of goods accompanied.
Total passenger flow, including all ferry routes in the state, can more than double this estimate.
“Semi-mechanical boat, around 2700 in Assam, is mainly operated by individuals or private associations, as a cross-cross ferry service.
These boats do not follow any security standards and, sometimes, manned by untrained personnel, raises Risk for passengers and other boats.
But the state government has contemplated plans to increase safety standards and state boat ferry service operations in Assam by launching a voluntary incentive scheme called ‘JIBONDINGA’, which is intended to operate and safe boat operations in Assam, “Robin Kalita, Transport Advisor from the Community Development of Inland Water Transportation managed by the state.
The World Bank, which helped modernize the ferry sector of the passenger Assam, in a report said there were serious deficiencies in regulatory supervision, the lack of communication systems and safety equipment, crew training deficiencies and inadequate disaster response planning.
Independent researchers, Mirza Zulfqur Rahman, said the ship did not follow safety standards throughout Assam.
He said if the ferry brought 100 passengers, there would hardly be 10 life jackets in the ferry, drifting all kinds of safety norms.
“The main agenda is how we really maintain passenger security using river transportation in Assam.
The needs of hours are to ensure that basic safety equipment is for people to be able to save their lives in such incidents in the future, not only between Jorhat and Majuli, But throughout Brahmaputra, where the government is aware of such river transportation operates.
If the government wants, he can provide safety equipment and involve human resources to enforce a tight protocol from not overloaded, “Rahman said.