Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) will start 8-day special steamer services from Dhaka-end on Wednesday August 30 on occasion of upcoming Eid -ul- Azha festival with six vessels up to Khulna and Morelganj of Bagerhat.
The Eid-ul-Azha special service of BIWTC vessels with regular services will continue till September 6, said Sheikh Muhammad Nasim, Deputy General Manager (Commercial/ Passenger) BIWTC.
The vessels scheduled for Eid-ul-Azha special service would be PS (peddle steamer) Ostrich, Mahsud, Turn, Lepcha, MV (motorized vessels) Modhumoti, Banglaee. According to the announced schedule PS Ostrich and PS Lepcha will leave Dhaka river port at 6:30 and 7:00 PM on August 30 for Khulna and Hularhut ends. BIWTC sources said these six BIWTC vessels under this special schedule would also carry passengers from Dhaka to their respective destinations connecting Chandpur, Barisal, Jhalakathi, Hularhut of Pirojpur and Morelganj of Bagerhut and Khulna river ports, he added.
Under this schedule the BIWTC peddle steamers PS Ostrich will ply on August 30, September 3 from Dhaka, September 1 and 5 from Barisal ends.
PS Lepcha will ply on August 30 from Dhaka and September 3 from Hularhut ends.
MV Bangalee will ply on August 31, September 4 from Dhaka, on September 2 and 6 from Barisal ends.
MV Modhumoti will ply on August 31, September 1 from Dhaka and 3 from Morelganj ends.
PS Turn on September 4 will ply from Dhaka at morning and from Barisal ends at evening.
Under this schedule the BIWTC peddle steamers PS Mahsud will ply on September 2 from Dhaka and September 4 from Barisal ends. Syed Abul Kalam Azad, assistant general manager in charge of BIWTC Barisal station, said BIWTC stations at Barisal and Narayanganj have been asked to provide piloting services and be prepared with special tug boats to face any emergency calls.
The passenger-fare of BIWTC carriers would remain same on special trips as normal trips, BIWTC official said. Accordingly passengers of BIWTC vessels on 169-kilometer Dhaka-Barisal or Barisal-Dhaka route in a single trip have to pay Tk.1050 for one first class cabin seat, Tk.630 for one second class cabin (equivalent to first class of private launches) seat and Tk.170 for each deck seat, average 30-50 percent less than private water transport operators on this route, BIWTC Barisal station manager added.
Sea trucks of BIWTC will connect 11 stations of coastal routes under Barisal, Bhola, Laxmipur, Noakhali, and Chittagong districts including Maju Chowdhurir Hut, Manpura, Shashiganj, Ilisha, Charchenga, Boyarchar, Hatiya, Kumira and Guptachhara, BIWTC officials added.
Two coastal ships MV Monirul Huq and MV Baro-Awlia of BIWTC will operate passenger services from Chittagong to connect different destinations under Hatiya and Sandwip from August 30 to September 7.
Waterbus services of BIWTC will ply regularly from Sadarghat / Badamtali- Gabtal-Sadarghat and Narayanganj-Tongi-Narayanganj routes during Eid vacation.
Additional ferry trips would also be activated on Paturia-Daulatdia, Mawa-Keorakandi, Chandpur – Shariatpur, Bhola-Lakshmipur and Laharhat-Veduria river routes on occasion of Eid-ul- Fitr, BIWTC sources added.
