Sorry state of shipping

It is indeed a matter of deep regret/shame that a vital sector of our transport system(the inland/coastal water transport), in course of last six decades has been transformed from a safe mode into its present status of being a system having no regard to the lives and cargo which it is intended, also duty-bound, to carry safely. The strange and most unfortunate part of this saga is that the old traditional operators mostly from abroad apparently provided a much better standard and service for nearly one and half century than what our owners of the soil are doing for the fellow countrymen. Perhaps many of our elderly compatriots/senior citizens will share my views which also equally may apply in the case of our railway system.

Therefore it will be entirely unfair to blame only the surveyors for the rots which now seem to affect the entry of ships to our major port due to frequent grounding/sinking of the aforementioned substandard vessels in the navigational channels. Negligence/indifference for a very long time has now led to this grave situation, where we may now be helpless or in position involving very costly economic consequences to all. Just think of a closure of Chittagong port due to the serious wreck/sinkage of a vessel of the type described in the news item; one should in fact shudder to imagine such a possibility which can virtually bring the export and import of Bangladesh to a halt.

The concern of the media, giving due importance to such impending calamity ought to be appreciated but why the authority or the rade body like FBCCI is not making any noise on such important issue?

We all know the fabrics of our society to be in all respect almost degenerated hence we can sleep over and allow anything like this to happen without concern! Only good governance, order and respect for rules /regulations by all concerned can save us from a calamity that can easily happen with callous attitudes of all those responsible under the current state of the management of our ports and shipping sectors. Let Almighty give us the sense to wake up before we see any thing like a disaster of the nature.