The water bus service of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation counts a financial loss of almost Tk40,000 per day, failing to retain its popularity among passengers to journey between Gabtali and Badamtali.
The authority’s indecision and repeated changes to plans are attributed to the decline in popularity of the service on the 29-kilometre circular river route around the capital.
The BIWTC authority changed its plan twice regarding where to start the water bus service since its inception in July last year.
A section of the BIWTC officials said the high-ups of the corporation were not strict about their decision.
At first, they started the service from Gabtali to Badamtali ghat adjoining Babu Bazar Bridge over Buriganga which drew a lot of passengers, but after construction of the road on Dhaka protection embankment from Babu Bazar to Gabali was complete, passengers ceased to get on board the water vehicles, officials said.
The commuters preferred taking journey by bus and human haulers to getting on board the water buses which go on a few trips throughout the day after a long interval, added the officials.
The BIWTC officials alleged that the higher authority leased the water bus to one private firm – Nabila Navigation – in order to eke out profit, but to no avail.
In February, the leaseholder introduced a new water route that stretched from Babu Bazar to Kathpatti.
The leaseholder, however, was forced to return the water buses to the BIWTC next month in the face of protest by launch owners and staff.
Md Harun, a small trader in Badamtali Bazar, said, “Neglecting the Sadarghat terminal, selection of Badamtoli ghat as the final stoppage for the water bus was a wrong decision.”
He said if the final destination of the water buses had been Sadarghat or its adjoining areas, a large number Mirpur residents hailing from Barisal could avail themselves of the journey.
Babu Bazar ghat leaseholder Md Dulu Miah echoed the same as Harun.
He termed the Badamtoli ghat a backward location for which commuters looked for an alternative bus journey to go to their destinations.
Besides, a small number of water buses were also reasons for not drawing passengers’ attention, added Dulu.
During a recent visit to the area the correspondent found that the 12pm water bus left Babu Bazar station for Gabtali without any passengers on board.
Preferring anonymity, a BIWTC official said due to miss management and absence of commuters, the government had been incurring a loss of Tk40,000 every day.
Mujibur Rahman, chairman of the BIWTC, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have applied different policies and made plans to promote the water bus services, but are yet to get any positive result.”
“We will sit in a meeting on Sunday to formulate a new plan for the service,” he added.
Following a repeated failure to draw commuters’ attention through water bus service since 2004, the BIWTC inaugurated six water buses in last July.
Besides, another six water buses at a total cost of Tk5 crore will be added to the fleet by December next year, sources in the BIWTC said.
The planned 29-kilometre circular river route for the water bus service covers Sadarghat-Gabtali-Aminbazar-Ashulia-Tongi-Purbachal Demra-Kanchpur-Mir Kadeem-Fatulla across the embankment area of Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakshya rivers.
