State-run steamer service in bad shape

The BIWTC passenger service is in a precarious state to tackle the Eid exodus from the major cities as some of its old vessels remain inoperative for years due to poor repair and maintenance.
The state-run company has six passenger steamers in its fleet with the capacity of carrying 4,122 passengers in a single trip, said sources in Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC).
Of them, MV Shela has been undergoing repair for more than one year, while MV Sonargaon has been out of service since last winter. This has cut down the BIWTC's passenger capacity to 2,810.
Talking to The Daily Star, BIWTC Chairman Mojibor Rahman said MV Shela will be fit and start carrying Eid holidaymakers this week.
If the MV Shela starts operation, the total passenger capacity of the company will be 3,205.
Private launch operators, however, carry nearly 10 lakh passengers from Dhaka to other districts over a week before the Eid.
They started special trips from Sadarghat launch terminal yesterday.
The four other vessels -- PS Ostrich, PS Lepcha, PS Masud and PS Turn -- also have faults in engines.
A BIWTC official admitted serious weaknesses in its passenger service. “The number of passengers is much higher than the capacity. But the government does not take any initiative to modernise the service and increase the capacity."
The company, he noted, has been operating its passenger service on Dhaka-Bagerhat route via Barisal with 70 to 80-year-old steamers, of which some remain under repair all the year round.
Another official said the lower deck of PS Ostrich is vulnerable, while the lower plate of PS Masud has been damaged partially.
"These vessels have been in operation for around 80 years now. Keeping the steamers in a dockyard for around six months at a stretch for repair might make them fit."
Asked about the fitness of the six steamers, the BIWTC chairman said as these vessels are very old, problems with their engines, decks and other parts are very common.
"But we are trying our best to keep these steamers fit through proper repairing," said the chairman.
At least three river ferries out of 37 will not operate during the Eid holidays due to repair work, said AS Ashikuzzaman, assistant general manager of BIWTC.
On the Chittagong-Barisal coastal route, two ships -- MV Baro Awlia and MV Alauddin Ahmed -- out of a total of four remain inoperative for years now.
MV Alauddin has been awaiting renovation since 2009, while MV Baro Awlia has been unfit since last one year.
The two others -- MV Abdul Matin and MV Monirul Haque -- are plying the route. These vessels also often fail to maintain their regular schedule due to engine faults.
Our Barisal correspondent adds, five sea-trucks -- Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, Sukanto and Khizir-5 -- will not ply different coastal routes as those are undergoing repair.