Launch operators have joined in the ongoing transport strike, demanding upward adjustment of fares to the increased price of diesel.
Without any official announcement, they suspended operations of the launches on Saturday as the vessels were seen moving away from the Sadarghat terminal, frustrating the passengers who had already reached there.
Earlier a day before, the road transport associations started an indefinite strike across the country protesting the price hike of fuel oil.
Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, president of Bangladesh Inland Waterways (passenger vessels) Association, told the reporters on Saturday that they did not officially declare any strike.
However, the owners suspended the services on their will to avoid the "unbearable fuel costs", he added.
He informed them that they have already submitted a proposal to the BIWTA (Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority) to double the fare, but received no feedback until 4:30 pm on Saturday.
According to the proposal, the association proposed to increase the fare from Tk 1.7 to Tk 3.4 per kilometre for the first 100 km distance and from Tk 1.4 to Tk 2.8 per km for travelling the distance beyond the first 100 km.
Sources at the BIWTA said it will hold a meeting at 3:30pm today (Sunday) on adjusting the launch fare in line with the fuel price hike.
In the capital, the intra- and inter-city buses stayed off the roads for the second consecutive day, causing immense sufferings to the commuters, especially the university and college admission seekers as well as the government job aspirants.
Like the previous day, a good number of admission seekers, including the ones who wished to take the admission test of BUET, failed to attend the admission test in time.
Except for the few state-owned BRTC buses, almost all the private bus services, even the CNG-driven ones, stayed off the city roads.
Many private cars, rickshaws, CNG-run autorickshaws and motorcycles were seen plying on the roads, but charging excessively high fares as alleged by the users.
"I took a rickshaw from Rampura to Old Paltan intersection today (Saturday) at a fare of Tk 130 as compared to Tk 80-90 on a normal day," Mostafa Mridha, who came to Baitul Mukarram area, said.
"It makes sense that the diesel-run buses went off the road, but why are the CNG-run buses? I don't understand why the government agencies concerned are not taking action against them?" he added, expressing his frustration.
A large number of people were seen gathering at different bus terminals at Sayedabad, Mohakhali, Gabtoli and Fulbaria in the city to go to their respective destinations.
Pickups, manually driven vans, microbuses and even ambulances packed with passengers were moving towards different directions.
Meanwhile, a platform of truck owners and workers met with home minister Assaduzzaman Khan Kamal at his Dhanmondi residence, but the meeting proved to be futile.
The transport owners called for an indefinite nationwide strike from Friday, the following day of the increased oil prices taking effect.
To reach a solution about the crisis, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) will hold a meeting with the leaders of transport operators and workers today (Sunday).
