Bangladesh
Launch Service Launch passengers for Dhaka decreased by 34% since Padma Setu inaugurated last year
Dhaka, August 25: Before the inauguration of the Padma Bridge, at least 50,000 people used to go to various coastal districts of the country including Barisal by boat every day from Dhaka. Since the bridge was inaugurated, this number has decreased by 17,000 to 33,000 in the last one year. According to this, the number of passengers in Dhaka has decreased by 34 percent in the last one year.
Besides, earlier at least 80 launches used to leave Dhaka for different destinations. The number has decreased by 20 to 60. That is, launch movement has decreased by 25 percent in one year.
This information has been revealed in a report of the Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum (SCRF). A summary of the report was released in a news release Thursday.
It is said that the report has been prepared by surveying from July last year to June this year. During the survey, along with shipping experts, boat owners and labor leaders, launch employees, passengers and officials of related government agencies were talked to, the notification said.
According to the SCRF report, owners have scrapped at least 20 launches in a year due to the downturn in the inland shipping business. Besides, they have decided to scrap at least 6 more launches.
According to the report, after the launch of the Padma Bridge, the road communication between Dhaka and the coastal towns in the southwestern region has become modern and comfortable. People are able to travel and transport goods in short time by road. Due to this, there has been a negative impact on the maritime communication system between Dhaka and Greater Barisal and the number of passengers in the launch has decreased.
However, the report attributed the decrease in passenger and launch traffic to the positive impact of the Padma Bridge on the road, as well as the naval crisis and traffic congestion in Dhaka. It said that many waterways have been blocked due to the failure of the concerned authorities to properly dredge the river and remove silt. Apart from this, due to the reluctance of many people to go to the Sadarghat terminal due to the traffic congestion, the number of launch passengers is also decreasing, according to the report.
According to SCRF, 70 percent of the 50,000 people who went to various destinations by sea from Dhaka were passengers of the launch going to Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna, Pirojpur and Jhalkathi. Since the opening of the Padma Bridge, a significant number of people in these districts travel by road. As a result, both passengers and launches on the waterways have decreased.
