Owners-BIWTA row over legality

Speedboats have been plying with passengers on the Aricha-Kazirhat river route illegally for the last 11 months. The service started with only two speedboats before the last Eid Ul Azha that has now increased to 18.

Passengers are crossing the river on the speed boats at great risk. Rizia Begum, 45, of Boro Dalima village under Baufal upazila of Patuakhali, and her granddaughter Srabonti, 6, went missing when a speed boat capsized in the Jamuna River at Char-Shivalaya under Shivalaya upazila of Manikganj on August 11.

This correspondent visited Aricha ghat on Sunday and saw two permanent counters at launch ghat No 4 to sell tickets to speed boat passengers.

Monoranjan Sheel Nokul, a local Awami League leader, also manager of the speedboat managing committee, said they started the service with the help of Golam Nabi, general secretary of Pabna Bus-Truck Owners' Association. The association's president, Khandaker Azizul Haque Arzu, is lawmaker from Pabna-2 constituency. Manikganj-1 constituency lawmaker AM Naimur Rahman Durjoy also helped them, he added.

Nokul said they have no legal papers. “We will get registration and survey certificates within a week or two,” Nokul said.

AM Naimur Rahman Durjoy said the speedboat owners' association is running the service on the route with the required papers.

This correspondent tried to contact Khandaker Azizul Haque Arzu on his cellphone, but his phone was  switched off.

Traffic Inspector of BIWTA Aricha office, Md Faridul Islam, said they have no legal paper or route permit. “We wrote to the deputy commissioner of Manikganj asking for a mobile court to stop the illegal speedboat service,” he added.

Manikganj Deputy Commissioner Rashid Ferdouse said a mobile court will start operations soon.

President of Launch Owner's Association, Anwar Hossain, said they are giving taxes to the government, but the speedboat owners are not. The government is losing revenue because of this, he added.