Lone scanner at Barishal River Port out of order for six months

The only archway metal detector at Barishal River Port has remained out of order for around six months, posing a security threat ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Around 20,000 passengers usually cross through the port on a daily basis and the figure rises to about one lakh during Eid, said sources at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) in Barishal.

At least 50 vessels including steamers and triple-decker launches will be anchored at the port in the river Kirtankhola every day from May 31, they said.

Over security, Barishal Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Sahabuddin Khan told The Daily Star, “Most of the people from the country’s southern region travel on waterways and pass through the Barishal port. So, we will install an adequate number of close circuit cameras to monitor the situation during the Eid.”

Talking about the metal detector, he said they did not know about the latest situation of the machine. “We will ask the authorities concerned to repair it immediately,” he said.

BIWTA is entrusted with looking after the machine. Ajmol Huda Mithu, its deputy director in Barishal, yesterday said the scanner has been out of order for the last six months.

“We informed our technical team in Dhaka of the fact. Official process to send it for repair has already started. We hope it would be fixed before Eid,” he said.

When asked about the delay, the official said he took over the charge only one and a half months ago.