"I shall not resign before implementing a set of decisions taken for improving the conditions on the river routes and for ensuring the safety of the passengers," the minister said, responding to journalists yesterday at a press conference.

The conference was called in the wake of the recent MV Mohara ferry disaster, which left a total of 148 persons dead. The minister regretted the disaster and termed it an act of god.

According to government estimates, a total of 1,378 persons have died in eight major ferry disasters in the country since Akbar took charge of the shipping ministry when the present government came to power. The unofficial death toll is, however, much higher since many of the bodies washed away and remained missing after the disasters.

Of the total dead toll, 645 people died in a single disaster, of MV Nasreen1, in 2003.

In his statement, Akbar repeated several commitments that he has made over the last several years for improving the safety in the river routes.