Staff Reporter :
The government has reduced the fare of passenger launches by Tk0.15 per kilometre across the country following the reduction of fuel price by Tk 5 per litre. Besides, it has also fixed the minimum fare of Tk 30, which was Tk 33.
The Shipping Ministry has issued a notification in this regard on Thursday and the new fare will be effective from the Thursday midnight.
After the reduction, the launch passengers will have to pay Tk2.85 per kilometre instead of Tk three for the first 100 kilometres and Tk 2.45 per kilometre for distances above 100 kilometres.
However, the minimum fare of the launches has been fixed Tk 30 by reducing Tk three which was previously Tk 33.
Earlier in August, the ministry increased the passenger launches fare by 30 per cent and ferry fare by 20 per cent following the record fuel price hike in 20 years.
However, passenger launches fare were increased from Tk 2.3 to Tk three per kilometre for the first 100 km and from Tk two to Tk 2.6 per kilometre above the distance of 100km.
The minimum fare for travelling people by launches was increased from Tk 25 to Tk 33.
On 7 November last year, launch fares jumped by 35.29 per cent. At that time, launch fare was increased from Tk 1.7 to Tk 2.3 for the first 100 km and from Tk 1.4 to Tk two for a distance above 100 km. The minimum fare had also been increased from Tk 18 to Tk 25.
The prices of diesel and kerosene were jumped by Tk 34 to Tk 114 per litre,
petrol by Tk 44 to Tk 130 per litre and octane by Tk 46 to Tk 135 per litre on August 5.
Later on 29 August, a 10 per cent cut in diesel tax resulted in a flat Tk 5 decline in prices of diesel, kerosene, petrol and octane per litre – a downward adjustment, following the reduction of 5 per cent import duty and 5 per cent advance tax on the most-consumed fuel oil, diesel, which accounts for 73 per cent of the country’s total petroleum imports.
About 750 passenger launches are now being operated across the country, sources of the Department of Shipping (DoS) told this correspondent.
