Taking advantage of the government's poor monitoring, hundreds of unregistered and unfit passenger vessels are plying different waterways across the country, posing a grave risk to public life.

The vessels often cause tragic accidents, leaving hundreds of people dead and causing a huge monetary loss to the state, said experts and water safety rights activists.

In many cases, these vessels have faults in body designing and engines. Moreover, these vessels often ply being overloaded. So, it is quite normal that these will cause frequent accidents, said Mir Tareque Ali, a professor of the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology.

When asked, Commodore M Zakiur Rahman Bhuiyan, director general of the Department of Shipping, conceded that many unfit and unregistered vessels are plying thanks to the people's need.

The shipping department within the next couple of months will initiate a project to survey the unregistered vessels and register them after properly scrutinising their bodies and engines, said the official.

He, however, did not specifically answer why the department had not taken such initiatives earlier.

Currently, there are around 10,000 different types of registered vessels in the country. Of them, around 1,800 are registered passenger vessels, said Begum Parvin Sultana, prosecuting and information officer of the shipping department.

There are no precise statistics available about how many unregistered vessels are plying the country's waterways. However, several shipping department officials informally told The Daily Star that around 20,000 to 25,000 different types of unregistered vessels are plying the routes.

But Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan on September 28 in the House said no unfit passenger launch plies the waterways.

In last 15 years, on average 180 people died annually in waterway accidents, says the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR), which works for passengers' safety, while the government's statistics claim that the annual death toll is around 160.

As per the Inland Shipping Ordinance-1976, the shipping department is responsible for issuing registration and fitness certificates to vessels after scrutinising body fitness, engine quality, vessels design, passenger carrying capacity and other technical factors.

On the basis of these registration and fitness certificates, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) issues route permits and operational schedules.

Before a vessel sets sail, BIWTA inspectors are responsible for scrutinising all these documents including fitness certificates and route permits and for checking whether any vessel plies being overloaded.

Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) issues route permits and operational schedules.

Before a vessel sets sail, BIWTA inspectors are responsible for scrutinising all these documents including fitness certificates and route permits and for checking whether any vessel plies being overloaded.

But in many cases, neither the shipping department nor the BIWTA officials properly perform their duties, creating an opportunity for the unfit and unregistered vessels to operate, said NCPSRR General Secretary Ashis Kumar Dey.

On September 21, for instance, a mechanised boat -- Oishi Plus -- capsized in the Sandhya river in Barisal's Banaripara upazila, leaving around 26 passengers dead and some missing.

The boat was not registered as a passenger-carrying vessel and hence had no valid route permit. It used to ply different waterways illegally, said Mustafizur Rahman, Barisal port officer of BIWTA.

But neither the sipping department nor BIWTA officials stopped this vessel from operating before the accident took place.

Replying to a question, BIWTA Member (planning and pperation) Bholanath Dey claimed that the shipping department is mainly responsible for checking plying of unfit and unregistered vessels.

In reality, it is not possible for the department alone to check operation of such vessels, he said, adding that it requires a concerted coordination among the department, BIWTA and district administration.