Country to get first vessel database thru Rajbari vessel census

RAJBARI, Aug 19: A rally and discussion meeting were held in Rajbari on Wednesday to mark the start of a vessel census under the theme, “Make the vessel census successful, build a prosperous Bangladesh.”

The discussion meeting, attended by stakeholders in the vessel sector, was held at the conference room of the deputy commissioner’s office. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Afroza Parveen chaired the meeting. Superintendent of Police Mohammad Manjur Morshed, Additional DC Tarif Ul Hasan, Joint Director of NSI ABM Faruk and Goalanda River Outpost Officer-in-Charge Trinath Saha attended. Deputy Director of the District Statistics Office Md Rezaul Karim moderated the meeting.

The census will run from August 20 to 29. Enumerators will collect information on the ownership, number, current mechanical condition and other relevant details of vessels operating on rivers and waterways across the district.

As the chief guest, DC Afroza Parveen said accurate statistics would help authorities support families of people injured or killed in vessel accidents and provide financial assistance during emergencies. Information collected through the census would also help improve safety and management in the shipping sector, she said.

Deputy Director Md Rezaul Karim said that the census would help establish accurate information on vessel ownership, the number of vessels and their current mechanical condition.

Accurate data would allow authorities to improve safety and management in the vessel sector and develop necessary plans, he said.