More than 100,000 illegal vessels plying across the country

Staff Reporter :
The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways on Saturday said that are more than 100,000 illegal vessels are plying across the country.
It said that the number of vessels registered with the Department of Shipping (DoS), the regulatory authority of the shipping sector is only 14,000.
The data of the organization showed that over 100,000 small and large passenger and cargo carriers are plying across the country.
The National Committee revealed the information in a statement.
The statement said also that the terrible information is that the number of unregistered vessels is more than registered vessels.
NCPSRR has urged that lakhs of illegal inland water vessels sailing across the country should be brought under the law.
The NCPSRR President Haji Mohammad Shahid Mia and General Secretary Ashis Kumar Dey submitted this demand in the statement.
The organisation has urged to start the boat census immediately to implement its demands.
The statement of the National Committee further said that the large number of unregistered and unfit boats means the increasing risk of maritime accidents.
Besides, the government is losing at least hundred crores of revenue every year due to non-payment of income tax and VAT from lakhs of unregistered vessels.
The National Committee urged for strict measure on urgent basis to find the illegal boats and bring those under the law to establish a safe and modern inland water transport system soon.