Ministry to sit with launch owners on April 28 to finalise fare hike

TALHA BIN HABIB

The Ministry of Shipping is set to hold a meeting with launch owners on April 28 to finalise proposed fare adjustments submitted by the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) last week.

"We will sit with the state minister for shipping on April 28 to discuss and finalise the proposed launch fares," Md Badiuzzaman Badal, acting president of the Bangladesh Inland Waterways (PC) Association, said on Friday.

He said the launch owners had written to BIWTA on April 19, seeking a fare increase following a recent fuel price hike ranging between Tk 15 and Tk 20 per litre.

Following the fuel price hike, launch operators have proposed raising fares by as much as 42 per cent. A meeting between BIWTA and representatives of the association was held on April 21 to review the proposal.

After the meeting, Mr Badal said BIWTA is the authority responsible for determining launch fares. The launch owners held discussions with the BIWTA member (planning) at the meeting on the proposed adjustments.

On April 18, the government raised diesel prices to Tk 115 per litre from Tk 100, pushing up operational costs for water transport operators.

Launch owners said higher diesel prices along with increased costs of plates, propellers, engine spare parts, fuel rods and gas, have driven up overall launch operating expenses by around 50 per cent.

They proposed setting the per-km fare at Tk 3.77 for journeys up to 100 km, with an increase of 36 per cent.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com