Perpetual negligence of ferry passengers' safety

Wednesday's tragic ferry accident near Neematighat ferry ghat of the Brahmaputra in Assam laid bare the perpetual negligence of the Assam Inland Water Transport Department to passengers' safety in the state. Lessons were not learnt from past ferry tragedies and the absence of strict monitoring allowed river transport operators to flout safety norms posing grave danger to the lives of commuters. The Kamalabari-bound ferry carrying passengers to Majuli river island district capsized and turned a turtle after colliding with a cargo ferry coming from the opposite direction. The accident is a pointer about the collision risk in river transport that increases manifold when scientific and safe navigation are not put in place. Some of the passengers jumping into the river in full spate without life jackets from the sinking ferry roof and managing to save themselves by swimming in strong currents of the Brahmaputra in peak flood season speaks volumes about the precarious journey to the river island. IWT authorities unable to confirm the actual number of passengers onboard the capsized ferry exposes the ad-hoc manner in which passenger ferry services are allowed to run in the state. Different counts of passengers missing and rescued given out multiple authorities only established that there was no regulatory oversight to ensure if the ferries plied are at all safe for commuting. It is hoped that all missing passengers would be safely rescued. The Assam Inland Water Regulatory Authority Act, 2018 requires ferry operators to carry floatation devices, adequate life jackets, proper maintenance of the boats and vessels but the authorities have failed to enforce these safety norms. The provision of the Act also requires installation of a safety briefing audio system in all vessels to give a statutory safety briefing to passengers on restrictions about the movement on board, emergency procedures, location of emergency exits, storage and use of personal protective equipment such as life jackets and other life-saving equipment, but all these have remained on paper with no system in place for regular inspection and monitoring. Demand from all sections of society for strict enforcement of safety norms for the safety of ferry and boat passengers grew after the 2012 ferry accident at Medartari in Dhubri district in which a ferry with about 388 passengers on board capsized in the Bura Buri channel of the Brahmaputra. A probe into the Medartari accident in which 40 passengers were killed and many others was injured revealed a systemic failure and regulatory oversight of the safety norms. The one-man probe into the incident concluded that river worthiness and safety of vessels plying on the river Brahmaputra had not been enforced. Recurrence of the ferry accidents in the state has not just exposed the lack of regulatory oversight but it is also a pointer about the danger to lives of thousands of passengers who commute every day on 171 vessels in 89 operational ferry routes in the state, including around 60 vessels operated by lessees. Terms of reference of a probe into the Neematigaht ferry accident needs to be broadened to fix responsibility on erring officials whose failure to enforce the safety norms apart from ascertaining the cause and circumstances resulting in the tragedy. A comprehensive safety audit of all vessels plying on the rivers in the state has become an urgent necessity to ensure passengers safety. Allowing any vessel which is found to be lacking in river worthiness must be treated as an act of criminal negligence and all those found guilty of indulging in such negligence must be brought to book. Over two lakh residents of Majuli, besides regular visitors and tourists to the river island, are compelled to undertake such a perilous journey from Jorhat to the river island in the absence of an alternative safer mode of travel. A promise to construct a bridge over the Brahmaputra connecting Jorhat and Majuli has remained unfulfilled even after five years have elapsed after the laying of the foundation stone of the proposed bridge twice since 2016. Expediting the construction of the bridge is critical to ensuring safe and smooth connectivity to the river island but the progress has been quite slow. The clamour for the bridge connecting Majuli will increase after Wednesday's ferry accident. While bridgework is progressing at a snail's pace, two Ro-Pax vessels inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during laying the foundation stone of the bridge in March ahead of assembly polls for operation between Neematighat and Majuli lying idle tells a lot about the apathy of the authorities concerned to safe communication for residents of the first island district of the country. The ferry accident at Neematighat has set the alarm bell ticking for the Assam State Disaster Management Authority to take an urgent review of safety measures in all boats and vessels in the state to ensure safer and anxiety-free river transport.