‘Whom do we complain to?’
Buses and trucks from Rajbari and surrounding districts use the Joukura ferry terminal every day to cross the Padma. In 2021, one Mostafizur Rahman Sharif got the lease of this ghat for three years from the Roads and Highway Department (RHD).
By using the Joukura-Nazirgang ferry route, drivers and bus companies can save travel expenses and time by avoiding at least 120km of road.
The ferry service on this route starts at 8:00am from Joukura Ghat and the last ferry leaves at 4:30pm. Besides, the first trip leaves from Nazirganj Ghat at 11:00am and the last trip at 6:00pm.
According to the lease agreement, the fare for each trailer truck crossing the Joukura-Nazirganj waterway was fixed at Tk 625, heavy truck at Tk 500, medium truck at Tk 250, mini truck at Tk 190, big bus at Tk 225, minibus at Tk 125, microbus at Tk 100, agricultural vehicles at Tk 100, four wheelers at Tk 100, Sedan car at Tk 65 and bikes at Tk 15.
However, drivers alleged that the current management charges Tk 1,300 from heavy trucks, Tk 1,000 from medium trucks, Tk 800 from mini trucks, Tk 1,200 from big buses, Tk 800 from minibuses, Tk 700 from microbuses and Tk 150 from motorcycles.
The charge climbs further up to Tk 2,000-2,500 if there is sand, stone or coal in the truck, they added.
This correspondent found the allegations to be true after visiting the ghat recently.
Ujjal Barai, a truck driver who was carrying stones from Bhurangamari to Rajbari, showed this reporter a slip of Tk 2,500, which he was forced to pay.
Abir Hossain, a biker, said, "I don't know what's the actual fare for boarding a ferry with my bike. A month ago, it was Tk 100. Now it's Tk 150, and that too after the recent fuel hikes. Who will I complain to? Who will listen?"
Mehedi Hossain, a driver of a Pabna-bound bus from Faridpur, echoed the same.
Mostafizur Rahman Sharif could not be contacted for comments, despite repeated attempts.
However, ghat manager Sohel Rana said, "The fare was fixed a long time ago. Since then, our operational cost has increased because of the fuel hike. So we are rightfully charging the extra amount."
Nawazis Rahman Biswas, executive engineer of Rajbari RHD, told The Daily Star that he did not receive any official allegations over the matter.
"If they are charging extra, they will be warned as per rules. There is a provision to cancel the contract if the same act is repeated even after a warning. But this is a long process," he said.
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