Fare anarchy to cost Eid home-goers Tk 80b

A staggering 80 billion (Tk 8,000 crore) is allegedly being looted by transport owners, workers and extortionists in the name of extra fare during Eid trips.
The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS) made this allegation on Thursday as it demanded that the government stop such anarchy in the transport sector and harassment of passengers.
"A powerful syndicate of unscrupulous owners, workers and extortionists to realise that money (Tk 80 billion) from the transport sector during Eid," BJKS secretary general Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury says at a press briefing at Dhaka Reporters' Unity.
Mr Chowdhury says fare anarchists in road, rail, water and air traffic are out to pocket the money from homeward trippers during the upcoming Muslim festival.
He thus seeks government intervention to stop this harassment by a section of transport operators, workers and other influential groups.
Trading on transport crisis, Mr Chowdhury says, a section of greedy and corrupt transporters has formed a syndicate to commit 'fare anarchy' with home-goers.
Successive government steps could not stop this anarchy only due to the complicity of transport owners, workers, extortionists and a section of law-enforcers, he repeats.
Mr Chowdhury says approximately 600-million trips in road, railway and waterway are expected this Eid season (from April 25 to May 10).
Of them, 400 million trips will be made in roads and the rest in railways, waterways and airways, he adds.
Auto-rickshaw, easy bike and human hauler fares have also been increased two to three times than their usual rates, it says.
Another torment Mr Chowdhury cites is the charging of Tk 50 as minimum fare by city services just before and after three days of Eid.
Besides, passengers of different destinations from the capital are also being overcharged, he claims.
This fare anarchy is yet to be checked despite monitoring by government agencies like the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection.
The BJKS leader further says north-bound passengers of the country are being overcharged from Tk 100 to Tk 1,200 targeting the religious festival.
At the same time, similar anarchy is also being visible in waterway, railway and airway sectors, forcing the passengers to undergo a sheer ordeal, he adds.
On Dhaka-Barisal route, Mr Chowdhury says, US-Bangla carrier charges around Tk 10,800 in air fare against its regular rate of Tk 4,000.
NovoAir's fare is now at Tk 8,400 instead of its previous Tk 4,800 on the same route.
Similarly, Biman Bangladesh Airlines has increased fare to Tk 7,400 from Tk 3,000 fare on Dhaka-Sayedpur route.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com