Launch cabin tickets elusive for common man

Getting a ticket for a launch cabin ahead of Eid seems like owning a golden deer as the owners and workers have kept a large portion of the tickets reserved for VIPs.

Like previous years, common people are desperately looking for tickets. But the operators are saying that they have already exhausted their stocks.

Although the railway authority and bus operators sell tickets in advance from a particular date after making a formal announcement, launch owners do not follow such procedures.

Staff and owners of launches sell cabin tickets as per their whim through internal connections and personal choice.

Ministers, members of parliament, bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen, journalists and other influential people make full use of the privilege depriving common people.

Visiting the Sadarghat launch terminal yesterday, this correspondent, disguised as a passenger, searched for cabin tickets in around 12 launches for any day from July 14 to 16.

Staff of almost all the launches said their cabins have already been booked while that of two launches said they could manage a cabin but it would cost around double the usual price.

"Every year our cabins become booked from the beginning of Ramadan. Most of the cabins are reserved for persons known to our owner," said a staff of MV Tipu-7 that plies on the Dhaka-Barisal route.

When asked for a ticket, a staff of MV Jahid-4 said, "It is very difficult to arrange a cabin. I can manage a single cabin for you on July 14, but it will cost around Tk 2,000."

Apart from cabins meant for passengers, launch staff rent out their accommodation spaces inside the vessels during the Eid rush.

Talking to The Daily Star, Badiuzzaman Badal, senior vice chairman of Bangladesh Inland Waterways Association, said the owners have the capacity to carry around 3,000 passengers in cabins daily. But over 10,000 people were intending to travel.

"Around 60 percent of the tickets are given to the privileged section of society. Around 20 percent more are given to those who regularly travel on that particular launch and the rest 20 percent are distributed among common people," Badal added.

Seeking anonymity, a launch owner admitted that the overcharging allegation was true and that such incidents are occurring due to a lack of government monitoring.

However, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairman Mozammel Haque told The Daily Star, "We have a plan to set up counters for selling launch tickets at Sadarghat launch terminal. If it is implemented, no owner can overcharge. We hope to implement it from the next Eid-ul-Azha."

Currently, there is no counter for selling launch tickets. Passengers have to buy cabin tickets in advance by visiting the launch or office of that shipping company. Besides, passengers who travel on the deck buy tickets after boarding the launch.

SPECIAL SERVICE 

Launch owners will start running special services from July 14 from the Sadarghat terminal on condition of passengers' rush.

"We are ready to operate additional trips of launches. We will start the special operation from July 14 if an excess of passengers throng the terminal," said Badal.

Usually, 60 to 65 launches are operated daily from Sadarghat to different destinations. The number rises to around 100 during Eid rush.

Officials of BIWTA, the launch owners' association and law enforcers yesterday visited the Sadarghat terminal to monitor the Eid management preparations.

Around 8 to 10 lakh people leave the capital using water transports in the week ahead of Eid, claim transport operators.