The government has planned several steps to make holidaymakers’ journey home by water vessels smoother and movement of cattle-laden vessels easy ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
The steps include suspending the movement of all bulkheads during nights and a ban of 24 hours starting from June 24 till July 4.
Eid-ul-Azha, the second-largest religious festival of Muslims, is likely to be celebrated at the end of this month depending on the moon sighting.
No passenger vessels starting from Dhaka’s Sadarghat will be allowed to carry goods for five days before Eid. This will apply to vessels coming to Dhaka for five days after Eid as well.
Speedboats will not be allowed to ferry passengers anywhere in the country after sunset to ensure their safety. On the busy river routes, berthing of tankers, launches, coasters and barges in the middle of the river will also not be allowed. Boarding of passengers on launches via moving boats and trawlers will not be allowed as well.
Moreover, from Dhaka River Port to Fatullah, all vessels will need to maintain a slow speed limit to avoid collisions on the busy route. The vessels will exit the city in a line and will not engage in any race or overtaking. No fishing nets will be allowed anywhere on launch routes.
The ferries will be opened for vehicles carrying cattle and perishable goods only apart from passenger vehicles for three days before and after Eid. The authorities will also arrange dedicated ferries for cattle trucks.
The decisions were taken at a recent inter-ministerial meeting, called by the Shipping Ministry, on the preparation for home-goers as well as cattle-laden vessels ahead of Eid.
According to ministry sources, at the meeting, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said there was a general perception that waterways have lost passengers after Padma Bridge’s inauguration. But that is not correct and the number of passengers is rising every month.
“We will arrange extra trips of sea trucks on the Hatia-Sandwip routes. There will be a new launch service on the Balasi-Bahadurabad ferry route,” he said.
For passengers, no extra fare will be charged ahead of Eid. If any irregularity takes place, passengers may inform BIWTA by calling their hotline — 16113 — to complain, Khalid added.
There will be mobile courts at ferry terminals, launch terminals and speedboat terminals. Bangladesh Coast Guard and River Police will conduct patrolling on river routes round the clock, he said.
River Police will also take extra security measures for the cattle markets that will sit on riverbanks. They will introduce a hotline number to lodge complaints if anyone bars traders to unload cattle there from vessels.
Sufferings on road to Sadarghat a concern
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Passenger Carriers Association Chairman Mahbub Uddin Ahmed has expressed concern about the problems launch passengers face while going to the Sadarghat terminal during the Eid rush.
He said that between Gulistan and Nayabazar, drivers haphazardly park buses, covered vans and trucks on both sides of the road, creating severe traffic jams every day.
He urged authorities to stop vehicle parking on the road from Victoria Park to Sadarghat terminal, make the road from Lalkuthi to Sadarghat one-way and hawker-free, and make the road from Shyambazar and Wise Ghat hawker-free.
However, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police representative at the meeting said after driving 30-35 kilometres, bus drivers reach Victoria Park, which is the last bus stoppage on that route, and use washrooms to freshen up. That is why buses remain parked there for a long time.
He said traffic congestion in that area occurs because of the staff buses of Bangladesh Bank, Jagannath University and BRTC. He called for an initiative to arrange alternative parking spaces for these vehicles.
The meeting later decided that the buses of Jagannath University will be parked inside the campus during the Eid rush.
Launches and launch terminals
Moreover, Launch Owners Association General Secretary Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan said that Coast Guard sometimes stops launches midway to check whether they are transporting Jatka or juvenile ilish.
“These drives should be suspended during the Eid rush as they consume time,” he said.
Forty launches operated on the Barishal-Dhaka route last year without any problem and it will continue this time as well, said Barishal Superintendent of Police Wahidul Islam.
Chandpur District Commissioner Kamrul Hasan said the highest number of launch anchors ahead of Eid would be 80. But the roads toward the terminal are not broad enough to handle the pressure of a large number of passengers and urged to open Icholi terminal ahead of Eid.
Bhola District Commissioner Md Toufiq-E-Leahi Chowdhury said that roads were widened at the Ilisha terminal last year but now it needs bigger pontoons. He also requested to develop the connecting road from the terminal to Beribadh as it goes underwater during monsoon.
