BDRunner, Mar 19:- The danger zone season has started on March 15 along about 3,000 kilometers of rivers in the southern region, including coastal districts of Bhola, Barisal and Lakshmipur. During this season, the riverbed here has become turbulent due to cyclones and natural disasters, so the BIWTA has banned the movement of small boats in a large part of this coastal river for the next seven months.
There are government instructions that no other boats will be allowed to ply in this area except those with Bay Crossing Certificate (sea-going boats).
Therefore, reliable boats under the jurisdiction of the state-run BIWTA, C-trucks, are expected to ply in turbulent rivers like Meghna, Tentulia, Ilisha, Kalabadar and Betua during this storm season. According to BIWTC sources, some of the government C-trucks are being repaired at dockyards. As a result, a group of unscrupulous groups are running illegal boat business on the river, taking advantage of the shortage of C-trucks.
It was seen in the area of Bhola’s Ilisha ferry ghat that boats are plying from that ghat with trawlers loaded with passengers on various routes including Lakshmipur. The turbulent Meghna is being crossed at the risk of life. It has been alleged that some local influential people are running a booming business of ferrying passengers on these boats, disregarding the law.
It has been learned that the government C-truck Khizir-8 on the Barisal-Ilisha-Lakshmipur Moju Chowdhury’s Hat route has now been operational after being in the dockyard for a long time. Meanwhile, after being out of order for a long time, Khizir-5 has been prepared for operation on the Elisha-Moju Chowdhury’s Hat. The authorities said that the C-truck can ply on the Monpura-Tjumuddin route in Bhola very soon.
BIWTA’s Bhola district assistant director (ports and transport) Riyad Hossain told BSS that due to the danger season, all small launches of the MV class have been stopped from 12 midnight on March 14. Trawler movement will also be stopped during this period, the official said.
It is learned that during the danger season declared from March 15 to October 15, there is a ban on the movement of any vessel except for bay crossing certificates in the Meghna and other sea areas. But ignoring the ban issued by the BIWTA’s Maritime Department, small engine-powered vessels continue to ply at risk in the coastal areas of Bhola, Barisal and Patuakhali.
Due to this, thousands of passengers on the coast are facing risk in adverse weather conditions including storms. Although the concerned authorities claim to be vigilant in controlling such risky conditions.
According to information, hundreds of speedboats and trawlers are plying illegally on various waterways of Barisal-Bhola and Lakshmipur during the danger season.
BIWTA says that there is no legality in the movement of speedboats. Even then, speedboats ignore the ban and run across the Meghna and into the Srotswini River of Bhola and Mehendiganj.
According to sources, engine-powered trawlers regularly ply from Bausia in Hijla upazila adjacent to Bhola across the Meghna to Lalkharabad and Datpur in Mehendiganj. In addition, all these trawlers cross the Meghna from Harinathpur in Hijla and reach Abupur, adjacent to Ghosairhat in Shariatpur.
Similarly, small engine-powered trawler-shaped launches ply regularly from Sakuchiya Janata Ghat in Monpura in coastal Bhola to Betua in Char Fashion. Small launches are plying from Rijirkhan in Bhola’s Monpura to Chairman Ghat in Noakhali even during this turbulent season.
In this regard, Sheikh Mohammad Selim Reza, Deputy Director of the Maritime Safety and Traffic Management Department of the Barisal Divisional BIWTA, told BSS that the movement of small MV class launches has been banned for seven months from March 15 during this turbulent season.
Sea trucks with bay crossing certificates will ply in coastal areas near the sea as per the rules. Engine-powered trawlers that are illegally plying in various rivers including the turbulent Meghna during the danger season have also been stopped. Nevertheless, the official also said that several government teams are working to enforce the ban on their movement.
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