Goods-laden vehicles will stay off the highways for seven days during the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr holidays to ease movement of homeward passengers.
"Goods trucks and covered vans won't be allowed to ply roads three days before Eid, on Eid day and three days after Eid," said state minister for shipping.
He told the media after a meeting with Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Riva Ganguly Das at his secretariat office on Thursday.
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said his ministry held a preparatory meeting on April 30 on hassle-free travel of homeward passengers during the biggest religious festival of Muslims.
The meeting also formed a coordination committee to see the implementation of its decision.
The junior minister said they have called for home ministry to provide adequate security at launch terminals to ensure safety of Eid trippers.
Launch owners have assured the government of not carrying extra passengers beyond a launch's carrying capacity during Eid season, he added.
Mr Chowdhury has requested launch owners and staffers to work sincerely for their passengers heading homeward for joyous Eid celebrations.
About preservation of the reclaimed river land, he said if anyone tries to re-encroach, they will commit a blunder and the government will take punitive action.
"Our drive will continue all the year round," he asserted, saying the operation is halted only for the holy month of Ramadan.
Mr Chowdhury said, "We've taken short-, mid- and long-term plans to reclaim land and make our river routes usable around the capital."
"We want to create 10,000-kilometre river routes in line with our electoral promises. We're also working to strengthen regional connectivity," he went on to say. More than 200 government and private dredgers are now working for making river routes navigable.
Mr Chowdhury said the Indian envoy expressed her country's keenness to help Bangladesh free the rivers and canals around Dhaka from pollution.
People now show little interest to travel by water around Dhaka due to pollution, he maintained.
"So, India is eager to help us protect our river routes free from pollution," he said.
The minister said Indo-Bangla bilateral trade and connectivity would rise further once the two countries overcome their present infrastructures backwardness.
Currently, seven to 10 people now travel between Dhaka and Kolkata by tourist ship.
Mr Chowdhury believes the number of tourists will increase once adequate infrastructure is built on the river routes.
MV Modhumoti, the cross-border cruise service launched in last March, has the capacity to carry more than 500 passengers.
"People are now more interested in travelling by water. We should build sufficient infrastructure on river routes," the minister mentioned.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com