Disaster management ministry to procure 60 boats at Tk 27cr

The Disaster Management and Relief ministry will procure 60 rescue boats, each costing Tk 45 lakh, to evacuate people, livestock and protect valuables from the flood-hit areas across the country.

The proposal of the Relief ministry will be placed before a meeting of the cabinet committee on economic affairs for approval on Thursday.

Referring to the state minister for Disaster Management and Relief, Mohammed Enamur Rahman, an official of this ministry said special arrangements will have to be made for rescuing and relocating flood-hit women, children and the disabled using these boats to take them to nearby shelters.

The procurement proposal said each boat incorporates a first aid box, a wheelchair, a stretcher, a walking frame and two separate toilets. Each boat is able to accommodate 80 people, some livestock and other essential stuff.

The design of the boat will be made in a way that will help disabled people get on board easily. Prime Minister’s daughter Saima Wazed Putul, who is working to establish the rights of the autistic children around the world, has given a unique direction with all these things, the proposal said.

It said Dockyard & Engineering Limited, a naval-supervised dockyard, has built those 60 rescue boats at a total cost of Tk 27 crore. Each boat will cost Tk 45 lakh and the vessels would be procured under direct purchase method.

According to the disaster management ministry, floods submerge about 26,000 square kilometres of land (around 18% of the country) each year in Bangladesh, killing over 5,000 people and destroying more than 70 lakh homes.