Barishal Correspondent :
Heavy rush of Eid- ul -Azha passengers returning from native areas to work place crowded the Barishal Port area on Friday.
Many private launch passengers missed their trips as overloaded vessels forced to leave the port earlier than scheduled time by the port and administrative authourity to avoid accident.
Ajmal Huda Mithu Sarkar, Deputy Director (River Safety and Transportation) Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority and Acting Barishal River Port Officer, said as per their assumptions more than four lakh passengers arrived Barishal trough waterways to observe Eid- ul- Azha vacations this year.
A large number of Eid passengers left Barishal on August 15 to avoid heavy rush.
But the rush of Dhaka-bound passengers mostly would be seen on Friday and Saturday.
A control room opened at the terminal to monitor the situation as they managed leave for 14 August and 16 and 17 were weekly holidays.
Administrative magistrate and assistant commissioner of river traffic police, with huge numbers of police, armed battalions and RAB engaged in duty to tackle the situation, discipline, safety and security of the passengers.
Volunteers of Bangladesh Scouts, Ansars and different law enforcing agencies helped the port authority for safe boarding of female, children and old-aged passengers on due vessels.
Cabin passengers of the launches requested to take seat from 5:00-6:00 PM, the 3-4 hours before the scheduled time, as the port authority asked the overloaded launches to leave the station two to three hours before the scheduled time.
From both sides 21 triple-deck launches plying on this route and giving double trips.
Within 7:00 PM on Friday at least 6 triple deck launches forced to leave the port for over loading, port officer informed.
Saidur Rahman Rintu, vice president of Barishal launch owners association, acknowledging the facts said capacity of each of the 13-17 triple-deck launches plying on regular and special Eid service on Barishal-Dhaka-Barishal river route was limited from 750 to 1,300 passengers per-launch.
However, those plied on Friday night with 2,500-3500 passengers on board with great risk and dangers for the transport, life and properties of the owners and passengers amid adverse weather, Rintu acknowledged.
Huge number of passengers even after reaching at the port within regular time scheduled for departure of Dhaka bound water transports, failed to board on the vessels as law enforcing agency ordered to sail overloaded launches earlier for safety and security of the passengers, some passengers alleged.
Sultana Begum, member of a 31-member team of garment workers, said they took the risk of boarding on overloaded launches as there was no alternative which has the lowest fare and easiest journey without affecting working hour.
Masudur Rahman, a govt. official came Barishal ghat with all the six members of his family from Hizla upazila said Sunday would be his working day and so he managed some narrow space on the deck of MV Parabat by paying Tk 200 to a space-preserver.
The rush of passengers increased as a large number of garment workers and lower income group passengers fill comfort to return their working place on the starting of weekly working day by the cheapest water transport, acting port officer of Barishal added.
Heavy rush of Eid- ul -Azha passengers returning from native areas to work place crowded the Barishal Port area on Friday.
Many private launch passengers missed their trips as overloaded vessels forced to leave the port earlier than scheduled time by the port and administrative authourity to avoid accident.
Ajmal Huda Mithu Sarkar, Deputy Director (River Safety and Transportation) Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority and Acting Barishal River Port Officer, said as per their assumptions more than four lakh passengers arrived Barishal trough waterways to observe Eid- ul- Azha vacations this year.
A large number of Eid passengers left Barishal on August 15 to avoid heavy rush.
But the rush of Dhaka-bound passengers mostly would be seen on Friday and Saturday.
A control room opened at the terminal to monitor the situation as they managed leave for 14 August and 16 and 17 were weekly holidays.
Administrative magistrate and assistant commissioner of river traffic police, with huge numbers of police, armed battalions and RAB engaged in duty to tackle the situation, discipline, safety and security of the passengers.
Volunteers of Bangladesh Scouts, Ansars and different law enforcing agencies helped the port authority for safe boarding of female, children and old-aged passengers on due vessels.
Cabin passengers of the launches requested to take seat from 5:00-6:00 PM, the 3-4 hours before the scheduled time, as the port authority asked the overloaded launches to leave the station two to three hours before the scheduled time.
From both sides 21 triple-deck launches plying on this route and giving double trips.
Within 7:00 PM on Friday at least 6 triple deck launches forced to leave the port for over loading, port officer informed.
Saidur Rahman Rintu, vice president of Barishal launch owners association, acknowledging the facts said capacity of each of the 13-17 triple-deck launches plying on regular and special Eid service on Barishal-Dhaka-Barishal river route was limited from 750 to 1,300 passengers per-launch.
However, those plied on Friday night with 2,500-3500 passengers on board with great risk and dangers for the transport, life and properties of the owners and passengers amid adverse weather, Rintu acknowledged.
Huge number of passengers even after reaching at the port within regular time scheduled for departure of Dhaka bound water transports, failed to board on the vessels as law enforcing agency ordered to sail overloaded launches earlier for safety and security of the passengers, some passengers alleged.
Sultana Begum, member of a 31-member team of garment workers, said they took the risk of boarding on overloaded launches as there was no alternative which has the lowest fare and easiest journey without affecting working hour.
Masudur Rahman, a govt. official came Barishal ghat with all the six members of his family from Hizla upazila said Sunday would be his working day and so he managed some narrow space on the deck of MV Parabat by paying Tk 200 to a space-preserver.
The rush of passengers increased as a large number of garment workers and lower income group passengers fill comfort to return their working place on the starting of weekly working day by the cheapest water transport, acting port officer of Barishal added.
