Prices double as tickets 'vanish' from counters
Bus, train and boat tickets are available on the black market for double or triple the normal price as touts gouge travellers heading home for Eid ul-Fitr.
A boat to Barisal usually costs Tk 78.75, but Zafor Biswas, a resident of Mohammadpur, paid Tk 180. A ticket for the Dhaka-Patuakhali have jumped from Tk 113.40 to Tk 200, while a ticket to Jhalokati is Tk 130 rather than Tk 81.40.
Touts are selling tickets in front of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation counter, said Mohsin, a passenger who came from Maghbazar to buy a ticket.
Cabin reservations are also unavailable. "I went to Sadarghat to reserve a cabin but failed," said another prospective passenger. "Only influential people and those with money can get a cabin."
Bus tickets are also tough to find for less than double the normal price. A ticket to Khulna normally cost Tk 150, but prices have jumped to between Tk 250 and Tk 300. A bus to Jessore now costs Tk 240, while a trip to Benapole costs Tk 350.
"All of our tickets were sold a week ago," said an employee with SR Paribahan.
Many people who go to the ticket counters at Kamlapur Railway Station also walk away empty handed. However, tickets are widely available from touts hanging around the station.
A Bangladesh Railway official said over 40,000 people travel by train during Eid, double the usual number of passengers.
"We are doing our best to accommodate more passenger," said the official. "BR officials have been doing special duty to ensure proper ticketing."
Bangladesh Railway started a special train service yesterday to ease the surge of passengers before the festival
GMG Airlines, a private firm, have also scheduled special flights to passengers make it home for the festival. Seats are still available on flights to Chittagong.
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