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Dirt and chaos greet passengers at Sadarghat terminal

Shahn?\z Parveen
Sadarghat launch terminal, the largest river port of the country and the gateway to Dhaka city for southern people, remains as a source of sufferings and nuisance for around 75 thousand passengers using the terminal daily.
The terminal is completely devoid of any modern commuter services. The dark, dirty and damp terminal building is a hangout for vagabonds and beggars. The few benches set up there for passengers are often occupied by these people.
The only waiting room that can accommodate 20 persons, is always in a shabby condition. The toilets are never cleaned.
Hawkers occupy many parts of the jetty obstructing movement of the passengers. There are no proper facility for food and drinking water. A few floating restaurants established on discarded launches serve unhygienic food often processed and prepared with polluted river water.
Passengers are always greeted with . unruly traffic on the way. The congested entry point of the terminal is a source of chaos. Harassment by the launch staff and stealing of luggage are regular experience of the passengers.
But there is nobody to help them. The information centre at the terminal remains closed all the time. The law enforcers hardly pay heed to the passengers' problems.
The police forces stationed at the terminal including 2 sub-inspectors and 22 constables under one sergeant usually spend their days languidly.
For millions of people living in the
southern part of Bangladesh, waterway is the most favourite mode of transport. A nightlong sleep in the motor launch usually ships them to the capital city or to their destinations out of the capital.
Halima Begum, a passenger bound for Subidkhali, Patuakhali said, "Getting on board a launch using the narrow plank is really risky. 1 wear a Hizab. For me it is even more risky. And I’m always scared when my children are with me."
She said the terminal authorities should introduce a safe and comfortable way to get on board a vessel.
Passengers alleged that many launches often change timetable without prior notice. "I have come here at 3:00pm but on arrival I heard that my launch will start at 8:00pm for Mothbaria,” said a dejected Mostafizur Rahman, a garment worker from Mirpur.
"Now I have to wait for hours sitting on the floor as there are not enough sitting arrangements. I have to keep watch on my luggage. If I am not paying attention for a single moment I might end up losing everything," he added.
Abul Hasnat, hailing from Amtoli, said, "For any information we’ have to come all the way to Sadarghat, which takes two to three hours due to traffic jam. There is no way to know the launch timetable or book a cabin without coming here.”
"Besides, there is continuous harassment by launch employees and porters who will swindle passengers every chance they get. The on-duty policemen bother little about these incidents," said Hasnat. "The foul odour of polluted water and garbage here is also unbearable."
Around 150 launches operate from Sadarghat on 49 routes every day connecting all the districts of greater Barisal and Khulna divisions. Many passengers of greater Faridpur, Munshiganj, Kishoreganj and Narsingdi also depend on the waterway. Total number of launches plying all around the country is around 6 thousand and among them only 4500 have proper document.
According to Bangladesh Inland Waterways Passenger Carrier Association (BIWPCA), around 1.20 crore people travelled using Sadarghat in the year 2006.
Since its inception ip 196p, the dyer port saw very little modification. The last attempt was taken in 1983, though that did not change the face of the Sadarghat.
The only modification that took place in the terminal recently is the enlarged jetty and increased number of gangways. Currently the terminal has 13 jetties and 10 gangways. However, due to lack of proper maintenance these are falling apart.
Launch owners blame the government for neglecting the immense prospect of the water transport sector and the river ports.
Md. Sahabuddin Milon, vice chairman of BIWPCA, said, “Waterways of
Bangladesh have immense potential to become a major source of revenue since we are a land of rivers. The government however has always neglected this sector."
“The government has no investment to explore this prospect. The meagre amount of budget allocated is usually spent on paying salaries of the employees," he added.
Milon pointed out, "The launch owners every year pay millions of taka in taxes. We don't know where does this money go.”
Millon suggested that arrival to the Sadarghat terminal must be made easier for the passengers. “If entry to the port cannot be improved, then nothing will change. The severe traffic jam and disorder at the entrance must be eased."
He suggested that lunch owners must be included in the planning process. “It is not possible to improve the services without involving the launch owners"
Contacted, Abdul Mannan Howlader, chairman, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), the supervising authority of the terminal, said a project for beautification, modernisation and extension of the terminal is currently in progress.
"A project started last month to modernise Sadarghat terminal to provide improved services. We are introducing some of the facilities that modern river ports have,” he said.
Under the project, the terminal will have an electronic display board for announcing timetable and routes of the launches. Signs and directions will be installed at all the points. Number of toilets will be increased.
The waiting room will be extended. Wheelchairs will be added to ease the sufferings of the physically challenged passengers. There will be trolleys for more comfortable luggage carrying. The ferry point from where small boats operate will be shifted.
"Usually people have to come to Sadarghat to know launch schedules or book a cabin, which cost the passengers a lot of time and money. This is about to change," he said.
"We are discussing with the launch owners about establishing ticket counters at important points inside the city. Phone services will established at the terminal so that passengers can get any information just making a phone call,” he added.
The Tk 4.97 crore project will be implemented by2009.