40-year old Barisal-Chittagong BIWTC service faces closure

BIWTC sources here said the route is risky as it has been clogged by innumerable shoals and due to lack of safety lights and markings.

An order to reduce the service reached Barisal from the head office on January 9.

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The reduction is a "test case". If it does not evoke massive protests from people, the 40-year service may be closed down, sources said.

BIWTC sources said emergence of big shoals in Sayestabad, Ilisha, Aminbazar, Gazipur and Kashir Char areas has narrowed the channel. Some of the shoals are about one kilometre long and half-a-kilometer wide. It is very difficult to ply ships as the water depth is less than eight feet at Patarchar, Shailkar Char, Bogadiar Char and Bogar Char points even during high tide. The ships need at lest 14 feet water.

They said when the ships approach the areas, water is pumped out from tanks to lighten those. Even then, they have to wait for hours for high tide to cross those points.

Vessel operators said, six buoy-lights out of seven between Ramgoti to Bogadia are out of order for long. Sixteen out of 19 beacon lights are also inoperative for long. At times, ships go in wrong routes at night in absence of markings.

Ships have to move very cautiously and slowly and reach destinations 10 to 12 hours behind schedule regularly, cusing drastic reduction in passengers and cargo.

On an average, one ship carried 900 tons of cargo per trip in the 1980s, which came down to 50-60 tons last year.

As passengers and cargo have decreased, a ship earns around Tk 30,000 in a round trip while the operation cost is over Tk one lakh, they said. At least 29 people are needed to operate a ship.

BIWTC sources said despite repeated requests and warnings, BIWTA failed to keep the route navigable by removing shoals and installing buoys, beacon lights and markings.

"We are compelled to reduce the traffic in the once-profitable route", a BIWTC official said.

BIWTA authorities here denied the allegation. BIWTC is reducing the traffic due shortage of ships, they claimed.

They explained that the route was opened by the then Pakistan Shipping Corporation in 1965 with four ships--Zakia, Zarina, Zohra and Zobaida-- imported from Germany in 1964. After independence, one of the ships was sold and the rest three were renamed after three Liberation War martyrs-- Alauddin, Matin and Manirul Huq.

The twice-weekly profitable service was maintained with the three vessels. Now, only Matin is operating and the rest two are at a dockyard for long for repair.

The Matin has also become old and ramshackle and it is not possible for BIWTC to maintain the service in the route with over 90-km journey in the Bay of Bangal with such a ship, they claimed.

It would be very sad if the old route is closed, they said.