TUHIN SHUBHRA ADHIKARY

Two agencies of the shipping ministry want to take control of ferries currently operated by the Roads and Highways Department, as per a decision made at an inter-ministerial meeting, but the RHD is reluctant to relinquish control.

The BIWTC and BIWTA of the shipping ministry said the decision to take over the 52 ferry routes from the the hands of the RHD was made in November 2022 to “provide better services”.

But the RHD, an agency under the road transport and bridges ministry, said ferry service is an integral part of its job and there is no scope for handing the job over to another agency overnight.

Even the road transport ministry was not formally informed about any such move, officials said.

Given this situation, the shipping ministry has convened an inter-ministerial meeting on February 11 to discuss the issue, they said.

Transport expert Prof Hadiuzzaman, however, said the initiative can create problems in transport service.

“The RHD operates the ferries on narrow rivers to ensure communication by roads it has built and maintained over the years. So, giving the responsibility to operate ferries to another agency will create a coordination issue,” he told this correspondent yesterday.

Hadiuzzaman, a professor of Buet’s civil engineering department, said as per the RHD’s masterplan, it would gradually build bridges over the rivers where ferries are operated. So, it is pointless tasking a new agency with ferry services for only a few years.

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