30 lakh Eid holidaymakers to depart Dhaka by waterways

Though the number of passengers heading to greater Barishal has reduced, around 30 lakh people from Dhaka and surrounding districts will leave for the coastal districts by waterways during the upcoming Eid.

Among them, three lakh travelers will go through Narayanganj river port and the remaining 27 lakh by Dhaka river port‍‍`s Sadarghat launch terminal.

Sadarghat will face unusual pressure of homebound people, according to a pre-Eid observation report of the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways.

Mohammad Shahid Mia, president of organization and its general secretary Ashis Kumar Dey today published the summary of the report through a press release.

The National Committee has recommended raising the number of vessels in the routes to handle the pressure of additional passengers and ensure hassle-free and safe Eid journey.

The report said about 1.5 crore people will leave Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj during Eid-ul-Azha.

Among them, 30 lakh (20 percent of the total passengers) will go by launch during this Eid. Most of these passengers are from the coastal districts of Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalkathi, Barguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Chandpur, Shariatpur and Madaripur, it said.

According to the report, the rush of homebound people will start from June 22, the last working day of the previous week of Eid-ul-Azha. The rush will continue till June 26 (the day before Eid-ul-Azha).

However, about 15 percent (4.50 lakh) people will leave Dhaka before June 22.

Citing the shortage of vessels, the committee said maximum 70 launches regularly operate on 26 waterways. This number will increase to around 180 before Eid.

Out of this, 90 vessels will depart from Sadarghat for various destinations and 90 will arrive from different places.

The civic organization also said, if 3.27 lakh passengers are carried in 90 launches every day, one launch will carry almost 3,642 passengers on an average. But none of the launches has capacity to carry more than 2,000 people. Many launches have capacity of carrying less than 1,000 people.

In addition, in three days before Eid, the crowd will increase one and a half times more.

Many launches carry double to triple passengers beyond the capacity to handle the pressure. As a result, additional passengers will be carried on roof and deck, the report said.

The organization stressed the need for taking appropriate measures by the authorities concerned to reduce the risks of waterway accidents and public sufferings.

It urged the authorities concerned including the law enforcement agencies to ensure maximum surveillance and tight security on the waterways and the terminals.