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Passengers suffer as launches stay anchored

Staff Correspondent
Launch owners yesterday renewed their threat to continue the indefinite strike until the fulfilment of their demand, but budged on the call for the resignation of the shipping minister.
The third day of the strike yesterday stranded thousands of passengers across the country including Sadarghat launch terminal where hundreds of launches stood anchored in the mid-Buriganga course like in the previous days.
Meanwhile, no negotiation between the government and the striking launch owners was in sight as both sides stuck to their positions.
The launch owners said they did not want the resignation of Shipping Minister M Akbar Hossain, but demanded his transfer to other ministry and refused to sit with him alone.
They said they wanted to sit with a high-profile government representative, not with the minister alone who they allege reneged on most promises made to vessel owners at previous meetings.
The strike was enforced from
Tuesday after eight launches were fined by a mobile court on Monday for overloading and not carrying necessary papers.
The flow of southbound passengers, however, increased slightly yesterday as the government pressed some public vessels into operation.
About 2,000 passengers left the Badamtalighat for different southern districts including Chandpur, Barisal and Khulna on board the vessels.
Kakoli, a ferry, sailed from the terminal at 4:15pm with about 1,200 passengers while P S Turn, a steamer, left at 4:30pm with about 650 passengers.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Inland Waterways (passenger carriers') Association, the association of launch owners, at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday stressed that all the 300 launches anchored in the Buriganga at Sadarghat terminal had valid documents.
"No launch is plying without necessary papers, but a mobile court led by a magistrate is harassing launch owners in the name of
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checking overloading and registration papers," Giasuddin-al-Mamun, senior vice-president of the owners association told reporters.
Quoting a meeting between the shipping minister and owners, he said the minister said attested papers would be enough to prove the eligibility of their vessels, but the magistrate fined launches despite showing those making them aggrieved.
Mamun said the shipping minister slapped some rules unilaterally on them what appeared unbearable for them.
The demands of launch owners include official recognition of attested registration and survey papers, drawing by any naval architect instead of three persons selected by the government, withdrawal of the orders for installation of expensive modern equipment including hydraulic steering, echo sounder and rudder system in launches.
The shipping minister yesterday called the strike mindless, saying the owners were reluctant to hold talks with the authorities concerned.
M Kolimullah, chairman of the owners' association, however said: "It is false, the minister did not invite us to talks and we are not violating rules."
Meanwhile, a number of organisations yesterday demanded an end to the strike and implementation of safety rules on waterways.
Bangladesh Nagorik Samaj (BNS) yesterday demanded arrest of the launch owners association chief for holding passengers hostage in the name of the strike.
In a statement, the BNS also demanded resignation of the shipping minister and urged the government not to bow to the pressure from the association.
Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation held a meeting with the shipping minister and demanded implementation of marine rules.
Samajtantrik Sramik Front urged the government to resolve the dead-
lock through discussion and ensure safety of launch passengers.
Our Barisal correspondent adds: The government put some vessels into operation in the southern region to ease the river transport situation.
The BIWTC ro-ro ferry Birshrestho Mahiuddin Jahangir and rocket steamer PS Mahsud plied some routes and some more vessels will be put on the Barisal-Bhola route soon.