Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passengers' welfare organisation, on Thursday demanded to stop efforts for hiking launch fare in the pretext of maintaining health rules amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The organisation’s Secretary General Mozammel Haque came up with the demand in a statement.
During long general holidays to prevent the spread of coronavirus, millions were left without jobs.
Hiking fare at this moment will be like repression on the poor-suffering people, said the statement.
He also said that the government does not have the capacity to reduce public transport fares which will be increased in any crisis or with any excuse.
The livelihood of the people has fallen into terrible uncertainty, said the statement.
Due to lack of work, thousands of people are rushing to the villages from the divisional cities of the country including the capital Dhaka every day. Meanwhile, bus fares have risen by 60 per cent a month ago, leaving public transports in dire passenger crisis.
“Even in neighbouring India, the fare of any transport has not been increased due to the strict stance of the government of that country without stepping into the trap set by the owners to increase the fare of bus-launch.”
Therefore, following these examples, he demanded an immediate halt to the launch fare hike.
At the same time, he demanded to stop toll at launch and ferry ghats during this crisis.
The organisation's leaders also urged the state and government to stand by the disaster-stricken people by stopping the launch fare hike by supplying fuel oil at imported prices for public transport during the corona crisis as well as withdrawing the increased bus fare.
