Eid special trips of launches from Saturday
Private launch owners will start 15-day special launch services from Dhaka-end on August 18 Saturday on the occasion of upcoming Eid Ul Azha festival.
The 22 triple-deck private launches will ply directly from Barishal River Port and 8 others will ply via Barishal launch station continuing this service on Dhaka-Barishal-Dhaka route till September 1.
Saidur Rahman Rintu, vice president of Barishal Launch Owners Association and owner of Sundarban launch fleet, said this year at least 22 triple deck launches including day-trips of vessels MV Green-Line and Adventure will ply on Barishal-Dhaka-Barishal route.
If the pressure of the passengers is high, they will arrange double trips of the vessels from each end on three-days before and three days after the Eid from each end, Rintu said.
The fare for a single trip journey on Barishal-Dhaka route would be same as fixed by the government rate like Tk 260-280 for the deck, Tk 600-800 for sofa per seat, Tk. 1200-1500 for a single seated cabin, Tk 2200-2500 for a double seated cabin.
Besides, double seated semi-VIP cabins would be Tk. 2800-3000 and VIP cabins would be Tk 6000-10000 according to the conditions of A/C, attached bath and privacy, Rintu said.
On a normal day, 4 to 6 launches give daily trips from each end and passenger have to pay per head thirty to forty per cent less fare than festival period trips for one-way of the route due to hard competition in attracting passengers, Rintu acknowledged.
We take the BIWTC-fixed fair of the route during the Eid festival to overcome the losses of the normal period, Rintu claimed.
The 15-day Eid-ul-Azha special service of private launch owners, state-owned Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) with six vessels started special Eid-trips on August 16 and will continue till August 28, said Sheikh Md. Nasim, deputy general manager (commercial/passenger) BIWTC.
Syed Abul Kalam Azad, an assistant general manager in charge of BIWTC Barisal station, said six vessels would be placed to carry passengers from Dhaka to their respective destinations connecting Chandpur, Barisal, Jhalakathi, Hularhut of Pirojpur and Morelganj of Bagerhat and Khulna river ports under this special schedule.
The passenger fare of BIWTC carriers would remain same on special trips as normal trips and it would be at least 30-40 per cent less than private vessels running on the same route, BIWTC official said.
