Eid return trips see heavy rush

Over one lakh people left Barisal for Dhaka on Friday after spending their Eid vacations leading to heavy rush in the port area throughout the day. All the 17 high-capacity launches were heavily overloaded. Some of the ferry services operated late into the night in violation of the orders issued by the Barisal port authorities and BIWTA. Many of the passengers who were booked in private launches were unable to undertake the journey as the overloaded vessels were forced to leave the terminal almost two-three hours before their scheduled departure. They later boarded the launches operated by the BIWTC.  
Seventeen triple-decker launches, one day service vessel and two steamers carried over one lakh passengers back to Dhaka. People even travelled on the roof of the launches at great risk to personal safety. Those who could not board any of the launches were forced to return home.
Abul Bashar Majumdar, Deputy Director (River Safety and Traffic Management)) BIWTA Barisal office, said that according to their estimate more than four lakh people undertook the two-way journey using the waterways to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha in Barisal district. “However, on Friday we had to deal with the maximum number of passengers on a single day,” he said.     
Though a large number of people undertook the return journey between September 27 and October 1, many extended their leaves till Thursday, leading to a heavy rush on Friday. Many passengers were unable to board the launches despite reaching the terminals on time because the port authorities forced the overloaded vessels to sail almost two-three hours before their scheduled departure time in the interest of safety.    
Such was the rush that the port authorities set up a special control room to monitor the situation. A huge number of policemen, armed battalions and the RAB were at hand to prevent any untoward incident.  Volunteers of the Bangladesh Girl Guides Association helped the port authorities to ensure safe boarding for female, children and elderly passengers.
The capacity of triple-decker launches plying on the Barisal-Dhaka route on regular days is limited to 750-1,280 passengers. But on Friday night they were packed with almost 5,000 passengers onboard in severe violation of safety norms, said sources.  

Eid return trips see heavy rush

Over one lakh people left Barisal for Dhaka on Friday after spending their Eid vacations leading to heavy rush in the port area throughout the day. All the 17 high-capacity launches were heavily overloaded. Some of the ferry services operated late into the night in violation of the orders issued by the Barisal port authorities and BIWTA. Many of the passengers who were booked in private launches were unable to undertake the journey as the overloaded vessels were forced to leave the terminal almost two-three hours before their scheduled departure. They later boarded the launches operated by the BIWTC. Seventeen triple-decker launches, one day service vessel and two steamers carried over one lakh passengers back to Dhaka. People even travelled on the roof of the launches at great risk to personal safety. Those who could not board any of the launches were forced to return home. Abul Bashar Majumdar, Deputy Director (River Safety and Traffic Management)) BIWTA Barisal office, said that according to their estimate more than four lakh people undertook the two-way journey using the waterways to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha in Barisal district. However, on Friday we had to deal with the maximum number of passengers on a single day, he said. Though a large number of people undertook the return journey between September 27 and October 1, many extended their leaves till Thursday, leading to a heavy rush on Friday. Many passengers were unable to board the launches despite reaching the terminals on time because the port authorities forced the overloaded vessels to sail almost two-three hours before their scheduled departure time in the interest of safety. Such was the rush that the port authorities set up a special control room to monitor the situation. A huge number of policemen, armed battalions and the RAB were at hand to prevent any untoward incident. Volunteers of the Bangladesh Girl Guides Association helped the port authorities to ensure safe boarding for female, children and elderly passengers. The capacity of triple-decker launches plying on the Barisal-Dhaka route on regular days is limited to 750-1,280 passengers. But on Friday night they were packed with almost 5,000 passengers onboard in severe violation of safety norms, said sources.