Dhaka, June 21 – The Eid holidaymakers who are returning to the capital are compelled to pay extra money to hire CNG or rickshaws to reach their respective residences from bus and launch terminals due to transport crisis. Most of the city service buses are now operating on a contract basis and carrying reserve passengers mainly holidaymakers from various destinations to capital city Dhaka.
Besides, there is also a crisis of CNG auto-rickshaws and paddle rickshaws as many of the drivers are yet to return the capital from their village homes though the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated on last Saturday.
As a result, the returnees, who went to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr to their village homes, are facing the crisis of vehicles after arrival in capital to reach their city residences from terminals.
However, the drivers of CNG auto-rickshaws and paddle rickshaws were charging three times more fare than the normal fare from Eid celebrators.
Abdul Motalib, a bank official, who was travelling from Rajshahi and waiting at Kalyanpur bus terminal after arrival with 3-member family to go to city’s Rupnagar in the morning.
“We are waiting here at least one hour—but yet to get any CNG to go to our residence. Normally it takes only Tk 150-200 as fare but now charging Tk 500 to go to Rupnagar from Kalyanpur,” he said.
Abu Bakar, a resident of city’s Signboard, who travelled from Chandpur to Sadarghat by passenger launch Farhan-2, told this correspondent he was not getting any CNG auto-rickshaw at the terminal.
“The normal fare of CNG is Tk 250-300 to travel from Sadarghat to Signboard area—but now they are charging Tk 600 to 700, which is ridiculous for them,” he said in reply to a query.
The rickshaw pullers are also charging higher fare compare to normal fare, the passengers alleged.
Passengers launches are being operated in 43 routes from Sadarghat terminal in the southern region, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) sources said. – Staff Reporter
