Launch owners in Sadarghat suffer as more passengers choose Padma Bridge

The Sadarghat launch terminal has lost much of its lustre since the opening of the Padma Bridge linking the southwest of the country with the northern and eastern regions.

On Wednesday morning, the launch terminal was seen emptier than usual with no vehicles going longer distance and no homebound passengers.

According to industry sources and stakeholders, although the Padma Bridge has opened up a new road connectivity, it would not impact launch owners, who are operating from Sadarghat to Barisal, Patuakhali, Jhalokati, Pirojpur, Bhola, Shariatpur and Madaripur.

File Photo of Padma Bridge Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

However, they fear small business owners who survived through daily earnings as well as new launch owners will have to struggle now that the bridge has opened.

A launch owner said: “Earlier, we had to struggle handling a huge rush of homebound passengers. However, these days, there are fewer passengers and even some launches are unable to leave due to the shortfall in the number of passengers.”

Kamrul Hasan, a regular passenger from Dhaka to Barisal, said he had been avoiding the Sadarghat area since the opening of the Padma Bridge to avoid traffic jams.

Mustafizur Rahman, the owner of Survi-6 launch, said that business was down during this Eid as the number of passengers was low.

However, he said, fares in cabins and decks had been reduced by up to Tk300 to Tk500 but passengers were still not available. The small number of passengers available wanted to see the Padma Bridge.

According to the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), around six or seven launches could leave in the last two weeks but most of the seats and VIP cabins were empty.

The owner of Parabat-10 launch also said that the Eid-centric business was down due to a lack of passengers. 

Passengers travelling through Launch from Sadarghat launch terminal Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

He said: “Revenue from the launch business is declining due to a lack of passengers. Officers and staff are at risk of losing their jobs.”

Agreeing with him, another launch owner said: “We are seeking financial assistance from the government to change or shift our business so that we can save ourselves and financially help our employees and staff who have already lost their jobs.”

According to the BIWTA transport wing, out of 107 waterways, 43 are connected to Sadarghat and around 200 launches are currently operating on these routes.