Bagerhat Correspondent :
Collection of toll from the general people who board the ferry runs between Rayenda ferry ghat (under Sharankhola, the Southern Upazila of Bagerhat district) and Baramasua ferry ghat (under Mathbaria, the southern Upazila of Pirojpur district) was suspended for 6 months by the High Court. At the same time the High Court also suspended the direction issued by the Divisional Commissioner of Khula on November 16 regarding the collection of tolls from the ferry ghat for 6 months. This suspension order was passed by a Division Bench of the High Court comprising justice M Enayetur Rahim and justice Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman on November 29, according a report received here.
Besides this, in the rule issued by the High Court asked10 defendants including the Secretary of the Local Government Affair, Secretary of the Roads and Highways and Bridged affairs, Divisional Commissioner of Khulna to reply to the rule explaining why the direction (memo) issued by the Divisional Commissioner (Khulna) on November 16 in connection with the realizing toll from the ferry ghat should not be declared illegal and contrary to the law within 4 weeks.
Divisional Commissioner of Khulna issued an order dated November 16 against the interest of the people empowering the Izardar (lease holder) of the ferry ghat to collect tolls from the general people who are using Rayenda-Baramasua inter-divisional (constructed by Road Transport Authorities and Highways department) ferry ghat in order to cross the river Baleswar at the fixed rate and accordingly, the Izaradar started to collect the toll from the general people.
As a result, a strong resentment was created among the people of the both sides of the river Baleswar and at one stage the agitated people (of both the sides of the river) made a strong resistance against the decision.
The matter was ventilated among the people of the locality and other places through different news medias and internets. Then Chanchal Kumar Biswas, an inhabitant of Sharankhola Upazila and a lawyer of Bangladesh Supreme Court filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the validity of this anti-people direction on November 25. The petitioner Chanchal Kumar himself participated in the hearing of the writ. He was assisted by lawyer Anisur Rahman while Bipul Bagmar, Deputy Attorney General participated in the hearing on behalf of the Government.
In this connection lawyer Chanchal Kumar Biswas told the local newsmen over mobile phone, Rayenda Bazar, Upoazila headquarters of Sharankhola Upazila in Bagerhat district and Baramasua area under Mathbaria Upazila in Piraojpur district were separated with the mighty river Baleswar and the people of both the sides used to cross the river by boat or trawlers risking their lives and facing untold sufferings. In order to minimize the sufferings of the people of the both sides of the river and to make easy the crossing (of the river) a ferry service was introduced between Rayenda and Baramasua very recently by the Road Transport Authorities and they (Highways department and the Road and Highways department) started to collect tolls from the vehicles those cross the river by the ferry. But on November 16 Divisional Commissioner of Khulna issued an order directing the lease holder of this inter-divisional ferry ghat to collect toll from the general people (who board the ferry). As result, the sufferings and harassment of the people increased to a great extent in stead of minimizing the same. So, the lawyer filed the writ in the High Court on November 25. On the other hand, people of the both sides of the river are very happy and breathed a shy of relief due to the suspension order issued by the High Court on the collection of toll from the general people. The people of the localities thanked lawyer Chanchal Kumar Biswas who filed the writ in the High Court for the cause of the localities.
