Dispute Between Bus Owners of Two Districts
Commuters suffer for months in Patuakhali, Barisal
Passengers ride small boats to cross the river at Lebukhali in Patuakhali district amid risk during the ongoing rainy season as direct bus service from Patuakhali and Barisal has remained suspended for about three months due to dispute between bus owners of the two districts. Photo: STAR
Commuters of Patuakhali and Barisal districts are suffering much as direct bus services have remained suspended for about three months due to dispute between bus owners associations of the two districts. Now all buses belonging to owners in Patuakhali district move from Patuakhali bus stand to Lebukhali ferry ghat, situated on a bordering area of the district while the buses belonging to owners in Barisal district move from Barisal city to the other side of Lebukhali ferry ghat, on the border of Barisal district. The passengers have to cross the river by ferry or boat and it adds to their travel time and sufferings. The usual fare on the 40 km long route was only Tk 50 but now they have to count additional Tk 15. Earlier bus owners associations of Patuakhali and Barisal districts conducted direct bus services on Patuakhali-Barisal route for long but Barisal owners association suddenly stopped their bus service to Patuakhali district on April 12, said leaders of Patuakhali bus owners association. "Bus owners charge Tk 20 for only 14 km distance from Patuakhali town to Lebukhali ferry ghat while Barisal bus owners charge Tk 40 on 26 km road from Lebukhali ferry ghat to Barisal city. As passengers have to pay Tk 5 each for crossing the river by boat the total cost stands at Tk 65 whereas the fixed fare was Tk 50 only two and a half month ago," said freedom fighter Rabindra Nath Halder, a resident of Natun Bazar in Patuakhali town. Earlier one could reach Barisal from Patuakhali within one and a half hours but now at least two and a half hours are needed, he said. Abdul Wahab, a passenger of Patuakhali-Barisal route, said, "We have to cross the river by boat amid risk. Our sufferings increase when we have carry luggage and goods, especially in the rainy season." Only four or five BRTC buses ply Barisal-Patuakhali route directly but it is too scanty to meet the passengers' requirement. Often passengers take risky and illegal ride on the roofs of BRTC buses. During a visit to the ferry ghat on July 2, this correspondent saw quite a few passengers riding the roof of a BRTC bus. Blaming Patuakhali bus owners association men for the situation, Barisal bus owners association secretary Aminur Rahman said, "Patuakhali bus owners charged Tk 200 to 250 per trip from every bus and their men forced our buses to leave before the fixed time. Patuakhali men also created obstacle to movement of our buses on the route. After we submitted a written complaint to the Barisal divisional commissioner on April 23, Barisal divisional commissioner called a meeting at his office but Patuakhali bus owners boycotted it without any reason." Denying the allegations, Reaz Mridha, president of Patuakhali bus owners association, said, "At least 160 buses of Patuakhali bus owners association plied the route while 100 buses of Barisal bus owners association plied it. But Barisal association men forcibly reduced our trips. They got 36 trips while we got only 11 trips on the route. We demanded proportionate trips of buses of the two associations on the route but they did not accept it." In the meeting on law and order at the Patuakhali deputy commissioner's (DC) conference room on June 21, local elites urged the district administration to take immediate steps to solve the matter to mitigate sufferings of passengers. When contacted, Amol Krisna Mondol, acting DC of Patuakhali, said the administration is trying to solve the problem soon.
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