Launch owners warn against overcharging passengers

Launch Owners Association has issued a stern warning against charging homebound passengers extra money during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
"If any launch owners try to realise extra money from the passengers during the Eid season, we will stop their services," President of Bangladesh Inland Water Passenger Carriers Association Mahbub Uddin Ahmed told the FE on Friday.  
To ensure smooth and safe journey for the passengers, he said, a good number of launches are now ready to set sail from Dhaka.
Around 160 launches will set sail from Sadarghat for different destinations especially the southern part of the country, he said.
Mr Ahmed said the association will not increase the launch fare considering the passengers' interest.
Asked if any unfit launch could ply during the Eid season he said, "There is no scope for unfit launch to ply since they could not get inspection certificate from the department of shipping."
Earlier, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) in the second week of the current month decided to sell advanced launch tickets to avoid last-hour rush of the passengers.
To facilitate the journey of passengers, the BIWTA has opened 22 ticket counters for selling advanced tickets from September 15, 2015.
But till Friday (September 18), around 45 per cent tickets of different routes were sold out, sources in Dhaka River Port Terminal Authority said.
There was less number of the passengers for getting advanced tickets. Only seven ticket counters were selling advanced tickets until the afternoon on Friday.   
The launch owners said due to insufficient campaigns, most of the homebound passengers do not know about buying advanced tickets from the ticket counters.
An official of BIWTA at Sadarghat river terminal told the FE that they expected most of the tickets would be sold out within next few days. "It will take sometime for the passengers to become familiar/used to be for buying advanced tickets for launch journey," Mr Ahmed said.
The country has a total of 308 river routes. Of them, 38 are now operating from Sadarghat river terminal.
The deck fare of Dhaka-Barisal route is around Tk 250 while VIP cabin between Tk 4,000 and Tk 6,000 and single cabin from Tk 1,000 to Tk 2,000. The deck fare for Dhaka-Patuakhali route is Tk 300 while VIP cabin is between Tk 4,000 and Tk 5,000.  
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