With seven vessels the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) will start 14-day special steamer services on the Dhaka-Barisal route on July 14 to make transportation of home-bound people smooth.
The special service will continue till July 27 with regular services, said Nurul Alam Akand, deputy general manager of the BIWTC, Barisal.
Every day at least one regular and one special vessel will left Dhaka to go different destinations on the route.
Fare of special service will remain the same like normal service, said the official, adding that Barisal and Narayanganj BIWTC stations has been asked to provide special tug boats and piloting services and prepare to face any emergency calls.
BIWTC sources said seven BIWTC vessels including, four peddle wheel steamers PS Mahsud, PS Ostrich, PS Lepcha, PS Turn, and three screw wheel motor vessels MV Modhumoti, MV Bangali, MV Shela have been placed to carry passengers to their respective destinations connecting Chandpur, Barisal, Jhalakathi, Hularhut of Pirojpur and Morelganj of Bagerhaat districts under this special schedule.
Gopal Chandra Majumdar, assistant general manager in-charge of the BIWTC Barisal station, said MV Shela would run on Barisal-Chandpur-Barisal route every day.
MV Bangali and MV Modhumoti will ply daily mainly on Dhaka-Barisal-Dhaka route, and trips of these two vessels would be extended up to Hularhut, Morelganj if necessary.
Other four peddle steamers will touch Chandpur and other river-ports and all vessels may give double trip according to rush of he passengers.
Tickets for cabin passengers would only be collected from Dhaka office and for deck passengers from respective stations, he said.
On 161-kilometre Dhaka-Barisal or Barisal-Dhaka route in a single trip a passenger has to pay Tk1,050 for one first class cabin seat, Tk630 for one second class cabin seat and Tk170 for each deck seat, the BIWTC Barisal station manager added.
