Our Bureau/

It was some 34 year back when on a fateful day 400 passengers, mostly pilgrims died tragically when the steamer on which they were crossing river Ganga at Manihari Ghat in Katihar district in Bihar capsized after the old model engine of the vessel developed major technical slang.

Similar incident happened at Manihari again on last week when a cargo vessel on which 18 big trucks over loaded with stone chips were ferrying  across river Ganga from neighbouring Jharkhand’s Sahebganj district to Manihari capsized in the mainstream of the river Ganga in midnight. Mechanical disturbances like the previous incident of 34 year ago, is said to be the main cause of this mishap.

A crane has been engaged to fishout a truck from the river bed.

The details of this incident was presented in the Lok Sabha by BJP’s Godda MP, Nishikant Dubey in which he alleged the nexus of ruling party of Jharkhand and the ferry mafias was resultant the incident. Dubey informed the upper house that the entire episode had shown how the state government of Jharkhand has been promoting illegal and unconstitutional affairs like allowing stone chips’  illegal business as well as allowing ferry service after the Sun set. He demanded a CBI inquiry in the entire episode.

Till the date out of 18 big trucks which slipped into river Ganga, only one truck has so far been fished out from the river bed. Local people at Manihari and its adjacent parts claimed more than two dozen people still missing who mostly were the truck drivers and their helpers since after the incident. Interestingly, the rescue operating which both the teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) of Bihar and Jharkhand from the next morning of the mishap been initiated. But not a single higher official even from Bihar has visited to Manihari to take stoke of the rescue operation.

SDRF team on rescue mission.

Even after so much has happened and even after passing nearly a week, both the state governments of Bihar and Jharkhand mysteriously avoided even conducting any inquiry. The teams of SDRF of the two state who jointly conducting the search operation, alleged the negligence of local official concerned for not cooperating. “If we are not properly help by them in terms of our requirement like big cranes etc, how once could think about conducting  smooth rescue operation?” a SDRF personnel said on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, deputy commissioner of Sahebganj, R N Yadav told media persons that there was commercial ferry service in between Samada Ghat to Manihari Ghat, the distance hardly some 1.5 km. According to him the cargo left on Thursday afternoon (March 24, 2022) and there were some fault in the engine of the vessel in the mainstream. The overloaded trucks also had its adverse effects on the vessel which lost its balance and half drowned into the river. Except 6 trucks, other  trucks among the 18 on board on the cargo fell into the  river one by one.

However, DC, Sahebganj, Yadav did not reply the media persons who raised the question of transporting illegal stone chips outside Jharkhand  and how the ferry between Sahebganj to Manihari was allowed in mid night? After Sun sent, as per the probation, no ferry service is allowed on the river bed.

The damaged truck, which was lifted from the river bed.

The ferry operators narrated complete different story. They said after the incident, the crashed cargo has been brought to Sahebganj on which which 6 trucks were on damaged condition. The driver of the cargo told Sahebganj police that, when the vessel was on the mainstream near Manihari Ghat, there was a loud explosion in one of the trucks on board. The sound was due to busting  of tyre of one of the truck on board which made the vessel unbalanced. That resultant the falling of loaded trucks from half tilted vessel.

Local people alleged that illegal ferry service has been flourishing on the stretch of river Ganga since long and illegal transporting and smuggling of Jharkhand’s resources to other parts, became a common phenomenon. “The government of Jharkhand has  apparently withdrawn all the established norms and laws just for the promotion of such illegal activities there. Once of the truck which has been fished out from the river beds consists of 18 wheels (tyres), how 18 wheel’s vehicle was allowed to board on the water vessel?” asked a local official at Katihar on condition of anonymity.

A source  said that  Katihar district administration has denied such an incident. “ The authority concerned in the areas never bother about the safety and security of passengers. Mostly outdated and expired water vessels used to operate here and always create panic among the passengers. The official concerned just had forgotten the mishap of 1988 in which more than 400 persons killed,”Binod Kumar a local resident of Manihari alleged.

Over loaded vehciles with stone chips borde on a water vessel at Sahebganj.

One leading English daily, published from Patna which covered exclusively the steamer tragedy of August 8, 1988 at Manihari Ghat alleged that after the mishap, the private steamer company managed to remove the engine of the downed vessel inside the river while calling a group of expert drivers. The newspaper revealed that the expert drivers managed to remove other parts of the engine  so that no body could find the engine’s batch number as the steamer’s fitness had been expired much before 1988.

SDRF personnel on rescue operation.

BJP’s MLA from Rajmahal seat, Anant Ojha also raised the matter in the Jharkhand  Assembly but Nishikant Dubey alleged in the parliament that such illegal and unconstitutional activities have now became the main object of Hemant Soren’s government in the state. He alleged the Hemant and his brother Basant Soren who is the JMM’s MLA from Dumka seat in the state, has started providing their direct patronage to such private company  who were involved in such illegal business ventures.

The incident has exposed the hollowness in the system and the painful crying of the women and the children of the families of those who went missing on the bank of river Ganga further establishing the collapse of the system.