Launches getting ready for Eid, fear of overcharging exists this year too
Like every year, owners are hectically repairing their launches to catch passengers ahead of Eid.
Visiting different dockyards at Keraniganj on the outskirts of the capital on Saturday, this correspondent found that over a dozen launches were getting repaired.
The launches include Manik-4 (Dhaka-Chandpur), Al-Arabia (Narayanganj-Chandpur), Sattar Khan-1 (Dhaka-Patuakhali), Machiran Khan-1 (Dhaka-Kalaiyya of Patuakhali), MV Balia (Dhaka-Bhola), Bagerhat-2 (Dhaka-Patuakhali) and MV Tipu-6 (Dhaka-Hularhat).
Workers were busy with mending and getting welding done on the bodies of the launches to deal with excessive pressure of passengers during Eid rush.
Their staff claimed that the vessels had annual fitness certificate. Nevertheless, they were being repaired as part of extra cautionary measures for a new look.
“Our launch has some faults in both the body and engine,” said Anisur Rahman, a worker of MV Balia.
However, several leaders of Bangladesh Inland Waterways (Passenger Carrier's) Association at a meeting yesterday announced not to operate any unfit vessel.
Meanwhile, the authorities concerned yesterday as usual decided to check overloading and overcharging at launches to ensure smooth journey of Eid holidaymakers although passengers said these would not be implemented this year too.
The decisions always remain in black and white. Fatal accidents may occur due to insufficient safety measures, said passengers.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) yesterday held a meeting with all the stakeholders in its conference room in Dhaka to discuss on making safe journeys.
The meeting, chaired by Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, decided to keep sharp vigilance against overloading, overcharging, carrying passengers on the roofs, boarding passengers in the middle of the river through small boats and other nuisances that may cause accidents.
“Vigilance teams and mobile courts will remain deployed at different river ports across the country…,” Shajahan said.
But several passengers and leaders of Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association told The Daily Star that vessels did not follow the rules during Eid rush.
“As there is a large number of passengers ahead of Eid, launch owners always want to capitalise on it and intend to make much profit. They violate rules due to a lack of government monitoring,” said Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, secretary general of the association.
An instruction to keep sufficient number of lifebuoys is violated in most vessels, he said.
“Usually I rent a single cabin on Dhaka-Barguna route at around Tk 1,200. But the fare has increased to around Tk 2,500 ahead of Eid,” said Asif Islam.
Raju Hamid, a regular traveller on Dhaka-Barisal route, said “Most of the launches carry around three times more passengers than their capacity during the Eid rush.”
Confessing to overloading, Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan, a launch owner, said, “Overloading is a common phenomenon. It happened in the past, and is happening now.”
Addressing the meeting, Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation General Secretary Osman Ali said passengers were being harassed by leaseholders of different launch terminals. The law enforcers should stop it.
At the meeting, a police official suggested introduction of a new rule that will make mandatory for passengers to show national identity cards or any other document, while buying a cabin ticket, to check crimes.
Around 8 to 10 lakh people leave the capital through Sadarghat launch terminal in one week ahead of Eid, according to transport operators.