Home-goers’ mad rush at Sadarghat launch terminal

TALHA BIN HABIB
The Sadarghat launch terminal in the capital witnessed on Saturday a mad rush of homebound passengers heading for their respective ancestral homes for celebrating the Eid-ul-Fitr with their near and dear ones.
The Eid will be celebrated either on Monday or Tuesday subject to the sighing of the moon.
The FE correspondent found a growing number of backpackers started thronging the launch ghat since the afternoon and soon the adjacent areas of Sadarghat became a sea of crowd.
There was a huge pressure of vehicles especially CNG run-authorickshaws, rickshaws and buses from Bahadur Shah Park to Sadarghat launch terminal with passengers heading towards Sadarghat launch ghat.
" Most of the launches were jam-packed with passengers while many passengers were even seen on the roof top of the launches, defying the government directives not to travel on the launch roofs to avert accident. But the passengers were desperately trying to go to their village homes for celebrating the biggest Muslim religious festival.
Decks and cabins of southern districts bound launches were full- packed on the day.
Passengers said that they had to pay some extra money for confirming a ticket for deck or cabins of launches.
"I had to pay Tk 500 for a deck seat instead of Tk 352 as has been fixed by the government," Md Jabbar, a private service holder told the FE at Sadarghat launch terminal on the day.
The deck fares of Dhaka- Barishal- Dhaka, Dhaka-Patuakhali-Dhaka, Dhaka-Borguna- Dhaka ranged between Tk 355 and Tk 480.
Different launch operators said that except deck class (tickets), cabin tickets of different classes were sold out in advance just couple of days ago due to a huge demand during Eid season.
The fare of single cabin of Dhaka- Barishal route ranged from Tk 1,500 to Tk 1,600 while double cabin Tk 3,000 and family cabin Tk4,000 and VIP cabin Tk 6,000.
But some passengers at the launch terminal said on Saturday that they had to pay Tk 2000 for purchasing a single cabin ticket for Dhaka- Barishal launch journey.
"We have sold out in advance almost all cabin tickets due to huge demand," an official of ticket counter of MK Shipping Lines at Sadarghat launch terminal told the FE.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak many people could not celebrate Eid at their respective village homes over the last two years.
But this year many people have preferred to celebrate Eid at their village homes as the situation of coronvirus improved in the country due to mass inoculation (vaccination) by the government.
"We are not allowing passengers to travel on launch roofs," Senior Police Superintendant at Sadarghat launch ghat Khandaker Faridul Islam told the FE on Saturday afternoon.
He said that the law enforcers including police and Ansar personnel were seen performing their duties at the terminal.
He said that control rooms were set up at the terminal to ensure passengers' security.
The launch owners have said that they were not overcharging the passengers during the Eid vacation.
They said that around 100 to 120 launches of different routes were operating now.
They also said the launches that were operating have fitness certificates issued by the department concerned.
"We will not take extra fare from the passengers during the Eid-ul-Fitr season," Convenor of Dhaka River Port Management Committee Mamun-Or-Rashid told the FE.
He said that there were no reports of selling tickets at the black markets as they were alert to curb this bad practice.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury while visiting the Sadarghat terminal last week urged the launch operators not to overcharge the passengers.
He said that law enforcement personnel including Coast Guard, river police and others have prepared to ensure safety to the passengers while travelling during Eid vacation.
The launch operators have assured the junior minister that they will comply with the government directives for the sake of passengers' interests.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com