Passengers on the Roumari-Chilmari river route in Kurigram are facing excessive fares and harassment taking the advantage of the rush of Eid-ul-Azha.
Despite the ferry operating on this route, there are reports of passengers being harassed in collusion with the ghat's leaseholder. Some have complained of dropping passengers on the pretext of delaying the journey under the guise of less traffic.
This situation was reported on Saturday afternoon at Roumari Naval Ghat.
Passengers said that although the distance on this waterway is only 11km and the regular boat fare is Tk100, fares are being increased for Eid travellers, exploiting their urgency to get home. The current boat fare per passenger is Tk200, motorcycle fare is Tk200, loading a motorcycle costs Tk100, and unloading costs another Tk100. Thus, a passenger with a motorcycle is paying Tk600, while the ferry fare is only Tk50.
Despite this, harassment continues due to syndicated operations.
Moslema Khatun Mitu, a nurse at a hospital in Gazipur, was returning to Chilmari via the Roumari route on Saturday. Even though she had a ferry ticket, the ticket was forcibly returned. When she protested, the lessee's people threatened to assault her.
Mitu claims: "We are facing a lot of harassment. The boat fare per person is Tk200. There are no tickets for the ferry because the leaseholder, in collusion with the ferry staff, return them. If we protest, they attempt to physically assault us. We face harassment at the jetty."
NGO worker Nishit Kumar Barman echoed these complaints, saying: "With a motorcycle, we have to pay Tk600 for the boat. Although ferry fares are lower, the hassles are endless."
Another passenger from Dhaka, Noyon Mia, said: "The management at the Roumari jetty is so poor it's indescribable. A passenger with a motorcycle is charged Tk600. It did not even cost Tk200 in fuel to get to the jetty from Dhaka. Yet, they collude to harass passengers. When we protest, they come to hit us."
It has been found that the Roumari jetty is currently under the jurisdiction of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority. From this jetty on the Chilmari route, two ferries operate alongside shallow engine-powered boats. Passengers complain that the lessee's people are harassing Eid travelers.
Nasir Uddin, the leaseholder of Roumari jetty, admitted to approaching passengers aggressively but denied overcharging. He explained: "Some passengers aggressively confront the ferry staff about the departure times. Some throw stones and make videos with their phones. We approached them to protect our staff, but the allegation of overcharging on serial boats is not true.”
Assistant Commissioner (Land) Muhammad Asif Uddin Mia said: "We did not find any boats, so we could not verify the complaints. However, we confirmed that motorcycle fares charged from Chilmari Ghat to Roumari Ghat were excessive. Upon knowing our presence, the extra fares were refunded."
"Complaints have been received about additional fares being collected, written by hand on slips. The lessee has been warned about this, and if necessary, legal action will be taken through a mobile court," he said, adding that surveillance at the ghat will be increased before Eid.
