The Launch Owners' Association, continuing self-imposed rotation system, has decreased number of vessels on Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal route violating rules, timetables and conditions of route permit of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, according to passengers.
Following the rotation system introduced by the launch owners defying the rules of BIWTA, two or three launches are plying instead of five or six launches from each end of the route every day.
The passengers on this route alleged that the self-imposed rotation system of the LOA had increased sufferings of them leaving a little scope to choose better vessel for the journey or services and book seats as per their choice and avoid travel on overloaded launches in stormy monsoon season.
According to BIWTA sources, 12 launches named as MV Sundarban-7, 8, MV Suravi-7, 8, MV Parabat-2, 7, 9, 11, MV Dipraj, MV Kitankhola, MV Tipu and MV Kalam Khan have route permits to ply six launches from each end of Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal route.
Each of the launches has capacity of 760-1220 passengers with 20-25 per cent cabin and sofa seats and required at least 4500-5000 passengers per day to ply six launches from each end.
The Launch Owners Association sources claimed number of passengers did not exceed 2500 per day from each end except on holidays and weekend days. So the owners had become bound to decrease number of launches by imposing rotation system to avoid losses of operating cost of at least Tk 1 lakh per one way trip for each vessel, the sources said.
Saidur Rahman Rintu, vice- president of Barisal launch owners association, said normally one or two launches had to remain off from service as number of deck passengers drastically decreased following development of road communications.
Rush of cabin passengers on this route had increased on every weekend and holiday, he said.
'We requested the authority to consider our system due to the poor number of deck passengers which forced us to incur huge loss daily,' he also said.
Kazi Wakil Newaz, deputy director BIWTA Barisal port, said they had failed to apply terms and conditions of the route permits and the timetables and cancel illegal rotation system on the Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal route under pressure of the launch owners.
Source: New Age
