The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Tens of thousands of people desiring to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their kin and kiths at homes paid excess bus and launch fare to the extent of 40 to 60 percent and the bus and the launch owners just exploited passengers' passion. Sources close to water and road transport offices said that advance tickets of most of the routes five days from Eid and five days after Eid day were already sold out.

A very few tickets of launch cabins and bus seats only for some special trips are available from the counters while tickets for regular trips are now available in the black market, the sources added.

For journey during ten days, passengers had to pay 40 per cent to 60 per cent extra charge for advance tickets while 80 per cent more for buying tickets from the black market to travel by road and water transports. Accordingly passengers of BIWTC vessels on Dhaka-Barisal-Dhaka route in single trip paid Tk.565 for one first class cabin seat, Tk.355 for one second class cabin seat and Tk.95 for each deck seat in comparison of Tk.700-750 for first class cabin seat, Tk.1500-1750 per VVIP cabin seat, Tk.400-450 per sofa and Tk.180-200 per deck seat of the private launch service on the same route.

Launch owners association leaders claimed that even during the 20 days of two Eid festival seasons, they used to take fare less than the rate fixed by the govt of Tk.190 for per deck seat and its four times more for per cabin seat bearing losses in other times round the year.

One-way bus fare on the Barisal-Dhaka route had also been increased from Tk 320 to Tk 450 against the BRTC fare of Tk.280. Sources in launch offices claimed that advance tickets for cabin including seven days specials trips from 25-27 November and 1-4 December had almost been sold out two weeks before Eid vacation but few tickets could be available on black market with paying almost double for the tickets.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation announced to launch a twelve-day Eid special service from Dhaka-end on November 24 and continue till December 6 with six vessels and without increasing fare. Advance tickets would be available from Dhaka and Khulna stations only but all the vessels selected for special trips were not fit for plying smoothly.

The registration for booking of first and second class passengers cabins of the steamers scheduled to sail on special service began on Sunday and they will be able to collect their tickets after it was confirmed from Dhaka and Khulna, BIWTC sources said.