Jennifer Shaheen
Nearly 50 people have been rescued and 70 are still missing as a large boat sank in the Brahmaputra river after colliding with a ferry near Nimati Ghat in the Jorhat district of Assam on Wednesday afternoon.
Rescue operations by both National and State Disaster Relief Forces and concrete data will be revealed gradually.
In today's shocking incident, one of the boats, a government passenger ferry of the Inland Water Transport department carrying mainly goods, was coming from Majuli to Nimati Ghat, while the other called 'Maa Kamala', reportedly belonging to a private operator, was travelling to Majuli.
Approximately, 120 people were onboard which exceeded the seating capacity of a ferry. Also, the ferry carried motorbikes, cars, and cycles, which were washed away in the incident.
It should be mentioned that Assam has been well acquainted with boat accident tragedies in the past as well. The worst recent incidents in the last decade occurred in Dhubri in 2012 and Guwahati in 2018. According to several reports and data, the Dhubri boat incident claimed at least 103 lives and over 100 remained missing, while, three died in the Guwahati accident, and two remained missing. The Assam Inland Water Department officials stated that a total of 24 passengers were on board, while, the passengers had alleged that at least 40 were on board.
During the 2012 incident, under the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government, the Inland Water Transport department that looks after the riverine communication in Assam said the boat was not registered with it.
Like any other tragedy, most likely a public outrage on social media would be expected, and soon after the incident will be forgotten. However, the current government that celebrated its promising 100 days of its governance led by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma should take constructive measures to the ever-existing shortcomings of the department which has over the years proved to be fatal for the people of the state.
Notably, there are 104 ferry routes across the state, of which, Nimati-Kamalabari route falls under the Dibrugarh division which has a total of 26 ferry routes. According to the record published by the IWT department, 186 vessels are registered with the state.
A Scroll.in report published in 2018 stated that "Inland Water Transport has only 69 functional vessels, and the department's director (former) Bharat Bhushan Dev Choudhury, most of them old and "rickety". The Brahmaputra's peculiar flow patterns, he said, demand customised boats for different routes. However, in the last 15 years, not a single boat has been built or bought".
These accidents are an indication of the wrecked department of the inland water transport. A single government in power cannot be blamed. But the flawed functioning system needs a complete assessment. The department officials should assure that the acquired registered boats are checked for overloading and safety equipment because would the mere suspension of officials resolve issues prevailing in the department?
In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quoted in a tweet by Sarbananda Sonowal that said, "All Majuli needed is a bridge but for 60 years they (Congress) never gave it. This is nothing but injustice".
In February 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a 2-lane major bridge over Brahmaputra River between Majuli (Kamalabari) and Jorhat (Nimati Ghat) (6.8 km) on NH-715K costing Rs 925.47 crore.
In a way, the ferries connect Majuli with the rest of the world. They help in bridging the communication gaps. But, until the construction of the bridge is completed, how will the residents of Majuli be comforted about their safety? who will be accountable for their personal losses?
