Thursday, March 28, 2024

Campus Buzz

AAEA bats for complete revamping of water transport services

T Navajyoti | September 10, 2021 09:52 AM

GUWAHATI:Expressing profound grief over the demise of a college
teacher (Parimita Das, a resident of Kahilipara in the city), who
drowned following the boat accident on mighty river Brahmaputra near
Nimatighat in Jorhat on Wednesday, All Assam Engineer’s Association
(AAEA) bats for a complete revamping of the State’s water transport
services.
Assam government has already suspended three officials of the inland
water transport (IWT) department following the incident of boat
capsizing and instituted a high-level probe into it. The mishap
occurred when a government ferry collided with a privately operated
machine-boat in the afternoon hours. The NDRF and SDRF personnel
rescued the lives of over 100 passengers even though some continued to
be missing.
The forum of graduate engineers, in a media statement, argues that the
Nimatighat boat capsizing was an example of complete failure in the
traffic management where the authorised IWT officials avoided their
call (to decide) on time. There are wild allegations about the
practices of some officials to allow private boats to operate on prime
time instead of the department run ferries for personal gains.
The department could have increased the number of ramps at the site
according the demand of daily passengers on Nimatighat-Majui water
rout, it commented adding that the department now should consider
erecting separate ramps for departure and arrival of vessels in all
riverine locations across the State.
Narrating the operational mode of machine boats, the forum pointed out
that unlike a motor vehicle, those vessels have no braking devices, as
the propellers used in those botas move in one direction only to
produce the forward thrust. So, it is always a difficult task for the
rider to suddenly stop a machine boat (also turn into a particular
direction), while sailing on water and thus the driver’s skill and
experience become very important.
On the other hand, a mechanised ferryboat has the arrangement to move
its propeller in the opposite direction (to produce the effect of a
brake). Lately State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has also
spoken about using marine engines (with the provision to move the
propeller in opposite direction) for the boats with announcement of
government subsidies for upgrading the plying machine-boats on various
routes, which is a welcomed move, stated the forum.
“We believe the revamped IWT department should be entrusted the
responsibility to technically supervise the private boats and also
their services as its undertakings. All the vessels plying on
Brahmaputra should be mechanised efficiently considering the erratic
water flow of the river, ” said the statement endorsed by AAEA
president Er Kailash Sarma, working president Er Nava J. Thakuria and
secretary Er Inamul Hye.
AAEA finally appeals to passengers to demand life jackets compulsorily
from the operators and check the availability of sufficient number of
life-saving buoys (designed to be thrown to a person in water to
provide buoyancy and prevent drowning) while boarding on ferryboats
for their own safety. Moreover, the forum added, passengers should be
offered tickets before the journey and the ongoing system of providing
tickets in the middle of it must be stopped.

Have something to say? Post your comment