Launch owners in meeting with BIWTA to raise fares

PBC News:  Like the bus owners, motor-launch owners have enforced an indefinite strike following the diesel and kerosene price hike by the government. They also demanded to raise the launch fares. To resolve the matter, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) convened a meeting with launch owners on Sunday afternoon.

The meeting began on Sunday afternoon at the BIWTA office at Motijheel in the capital, said Shipping Ministry’s PRO Jahangir Alam Khan.

BIWTA’s Chairman Commodore Golam Sadeque is chairing the meeting which is attended by Launch Owners Association leaders.

Bus and truck owners enforced an indefinite strike from Friday morning after the government re-fixed the prices of diesel and kerosene Tk 80 per liter raising by Tk 15 per liter on Thursday. As a result, plying of buses and goods carrying trucks was stopped from 6:00am on Friday. Then the launch owners also enforced an indefinite strike from Saturday protesting the diesel and kerosene price hike. They also gave a proposal to the government to double the launch fares.

They proposed to raise the launch fare to Tk 3.40 raising from Tk 1.70 per km upto 100 km of distance, and raising to Tk 2.80 from Tk 1.40 per km for more than 100 km of distance.