Huge rush at Barisal ghats

Vessel owners flout rules

Barisal ghats were teeming with passengers as people who came to the city to celebrate Eid with their families and friends were returning to Dhaka.

The Barisal river port authorities held a meeting with the district administration, river police, and launch owners to ensure smooth return for the people who came to Barisal to celebrate Eid. The port authorities sent a notice to the launch owners, asking them not to overload the vessels. Those flouting the directive would be fined, the notice warned. The notice also stated that no passengers would be allowed on the roof of the launches. Ten passenger vessels out of 18 left Barisal jetties earlier than scheduled, as they were already full with passengers. All Dhaka-bound launches left Barisal at 8pm, one hour before they were scheduled to leave.

Although 18 river vessels were going to Dhaka, they were not enough to meet the demand for accommodation. Even after reaching the port on time, a large number of passengers could not board the vessels due to a heavy rush.

After celebrating Eid, people started returning from June 29. Passengers who were supposed to join duties were especially in a hurry to return to Dhaka as yesterday (Saturday) was the last day of the Eid vacation. Although the launch owners were told not to overload the vessels, they carried excess passengers with huge risk with law enforcing agencies looking on. All launches on the Barisal-Dhaka route carried a minimum of 5,000 passengers every night, flouting the rules of river transportation.

This reporter, while visiting the Barisal launch ghats, yesterday morning found that all Dhaka-bound launches were filled with passengers, even though the vessels were scheduled to depart at night.

Syedur Rahman Rintu, a leader of Launch Owners’ Association, said thousands of passengers left Barisal launch ghats for Dhaka ignoring their pleas. “We told them not to board the vessels as they were already filled with passengers, but they didn’t listen to our requests,” he said. “We tried to maintain the vessels’ capacity, but failed as the passengers were desperate to return to Dhaka,” he added.

Md. Mustafizur Rahman, port officer, Barisal, said: “This year as many as 220 vessels were pressed into service to carry passengers back to Dhaka. 

Huge rush at Barisal ghats

Vessel owners flout rules

Barisal ghats were teeming with passengers as people who came to the city to celebrate Eid with their families and friends were returning to Dhaka. The Barisal river port authorities held a meeting with the district administration, river police, and launch owners to ensure smooth return for the people who came to Barisal to celebrate Eid. The port authorities sent a notice to the launch owners, asking them not to overload the vessels. Those flouting the directive would be fined, the notice warned. The notice also stated that no passengers would be allowed on the roof of the launches. Ten passenger vessels out of 18 left Barisal jetties earlier than scheduled, as they were already full with passengers. All Dhaka-bound launches left Barisal at 8pm, one hour before they were scheduled to leave. Although 18 river vessels were going to Dhaka, they were not enough to meet the demand for accommodation. Even after reaching the port on time, a large number of passengers could not board the vessels due to a heavy rush. After celebrating Eid, people started returning from June 29. Passengers who were supposed to join duties were especially in a hurry to return to Dhaka as yesterday (Saturday) was the last day of the Eid vacation. Although the launch owners were told not to overload the vessels, they carried excess passengers with huge risk with law enforcing agencies looking on. All launches on the Barisal-Dhaka route carried a minimum of 5,000 passengers every night, flouting the rules of river transportation. This reporter, while visiting the Barisal launch ghats, yesterday morning found that all Dhaka-bound launches were filled with passengers, even though the vessels were scheduled to depart at night. Syedur Rahman Rintu, a leader of Launch Owners Association, said thousands of passengers left Barisal launch ghats for Dhaka ignoring their pleas. We told them not to board the vessels as they were already filled with passengers, but they didnt listen to our requests, he said. We tried to maintain the vessels capacity, but failed as the passengers were desperate to return to Dhaka, he added. Md. Mustafizur Rahman, port officer, Barisal, said: This year as many as 220 vessels were pressed into service to carry passengers back to Dhaka.