Launch owners plan fare hike after Eid [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Launch owners plan fare hike after Eid

Local September 03, 2015

Owners are planning to increase launch fares after the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
They already placed their demand at the meeting held at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority Bhaban on Tuesday.
Passenger rights activists have said the demand is illogical as the price of diesel, on which launches run, has not been increased recently.
They say the launch owners have unleashed anarchy in waterways when they never ensure minimum quality services for the passengers.
At the meeting on Tuesday, Bangladesh Inland Waterways Passenger Carrier Association chairman Mahbub Uddin Ahmed urged the shipping minister Shajahan Khan to hike fares for launch.
He said they could not ensure quality service for the passengers because of low launch fares.
The demand came when the road transport owners are also pressing for fare hike.
At present, the minimum launch fare is Tk 18 with Tk 1.70 for per kilometre in a less-than-100-kilometre trip and Tk 1.40 for per kilometre for an over-100-kilometre journey.
The launch fare was hiked on April 23, 2013 after the government increased the price of fuel oils including diesel on January 3 of the year, said BIWTA officials.
‘We demand fare hike as prices of launch parts and other things have increased in the recent times,’ said BIPCA senior vice-chairman Badiuzzaman Badal on Wednesday.
He said the government hiked launch fare in 2013 when the price of diesel was high on international market.
‘At present the price of diesel is lower than that of 2013 on international market. Why the government does not lower the fuel oil prices?’ he said.
After Eid they would officially submit the demand to the ministry, he added.
Bangladesh Launch Owners’ Association vice-president Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan said they also supported the demand as prices of launch parts and colour went up in the recent times.
Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh secretary general Md Mozammel Haque Chowdhury told New Age on Wednesday that the demand was illogical as the price of diesel did not go up recently.
‘The launch parts are hardly changed after any launch is built. That is why when the authorities ever hike launch fare, they take into consideration only the price of diesel,’ he said.
He said the launch owners never ensured minimum quality service for the passengers when they hiked fares only to make profits.
‘The owners always overload their launches and charge fare as they wish,’ he said.
Fare for a 5-kilometre trip on Mawa-Kaorakandi route is Tk 35 which should not exceed the minimum fare, Tk 18, Mozammel added.
According to the BIPCA leaders the number of registered launches in the country is about 750 while the number of unregistered ones is about 20,000.
In 2011, the minimum launch fare was fixed at Tk 15, Tk 1.50 for per kilometre for a less-than-100-kilometre trip and Tk 1.20 for an over-100-kilometre journey after hike in fuel oil prices.