BIWTC special services from Tuesday
UNB
BARISAL: Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) will start a 14-day special steamer services on Tuesday (July 14) in the capital with seven vessels to deal with the rush of passengers ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, reports UNB. The Eid special service of BIWTC vessels with regular services will continue till Monday (July 27), said Nurul Alam Akand, deputy general manager (commercial/ passenger) of BIWTC, Barisal.
At least one regular and one special vessel would be placed to connect different destinations of the routes for the home-bound people every day, he said.
The passenger fare of BIWTC carriers would remain same on special trips like normal trips, the BIWTC official said.
Barisal and Narayanganj BIWTC stations have been asked to provide special tugboats and piloting services and be prepared to face any emergency calls, the BIWTC official added.
BIWTC sources said seven BIWTC vessels including four peddle wheel steamers ---PS Mahsud, PS Ostrich, PS Lepcha, PS Turn, and three screw wheel motor vessels--- MV Modhumoti, MV Bangali and MV Shela have been placed to carry passengers to their respective destinations connecting Chandpur, Barisal, Jhalakati, Hularhut of Pirojpur and Morelganj of Bagerhaat district under this special schedule.
Gopal Chandra Majumdar, assistant general manager in charge of BIWTC Barisal station, said as per the schedule, MV Shela will ply the Barisal-Chandpur-Barisal route every day while MV Bangali and MV Modhumoti will ply daily mainly the Dhaka-Barisal-Dhaka route, and trips of these two vessels would be extended up to Hularhut, Morelganj if necessary.
Other four peddle steamers will touch Chandpur and other river-ports and all vessels may give double trip according to rush of the passengers, he said.
Accordingly, passengers of the BIWTC vessels on the 161-kilometer Dhaka-Barisal or Barisal-Dhaka route in a single trip have to pay Tk1,050 for one first class cabin seat, Tk 630 for one second class cabin seat and Tk 170 for each deck seat, BIWTC Barisal station manager said.
As per schedule, the BIWTC peddle steamers PS Mahsud will ply on July 14,17,21 and 25 from Dhaka and July 16,19, 23 and 27 from Barisal while PS Ostrich on July 15, 18 and 22 from Dhaka and July 17, 20 and 24 from Barisal, PS Turn on July 17, and 25 from Dhaka and July 21 and 25 from Barisal and July 21 from Hularhat and PS Lepcha on July 20 and 24 from Dhaka, July 22 and 26 from Barisal.
Sea trucks of BIWTC will connect 11 stations of coastal routes under Barisal, Bhola, Laxmipur, and Noakhali, Chittagong districts including Maju Chowdhuryr Hut, Manpura, Shashiganj, Ilisha, Charchenga, Boyarchar, Hatiya, Kumira and Guptachhara.
Three coastal ships-- MV Monirul Huq, MV Abdul Matin and MV Baro-Awlia of BIWTC will operate from Chittagong under regular and Eid special services to connect different destinations under Hatiya and Sandwip from July 13 to July 20.
Additional ferry trips would also be activated on the Paturia-Daulatdia, Mawa-Kewrakandi, Chandpur-Shariatpur, Bhola-Laxmipur and Laharhat-Veduria river routes on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, BIWTC sources added.
