Eid tickets vanished

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Unavailability of tickets of buses, trains and launches has as usual caused suffering to many city dwellers ahead of Eid-ul-Azha as almost all tickets for three days before the vacation starts have already been sold out.

Many people, who wish to spend their Eid holidays with near ones, were looking for advance tickets on December 19 and 20 at the Kamalapur Railway Station, major bus terminals including Gabtoli, and Sadarghat Launch Terminal yesterday but failed to get tickets.

“I was fortunate I got four tickets on December 14 after standing in the queue for 12 hours. But today I have not got any as they said all tickets have been sold,” Brac staff Khalilur Rahman said yesterday at Kamalapur Railway Station. He still needs one ticket to ensure that all his family members can go to their Syedpur home.

There are allegations that a section of staff at the railway stations, bus and launch terminals has kept a good number of advance tickets, especially of luxurious buses and launch cabins, to earn quick bucks on the eve of the Eid vacation starting on December 20.

Station and terminal authorities said the advance tickets had exhausted around seven days ago.

The homebound people also alleged that they had to pay extra Tk 50-100 for each bus ticket and almost double for each launch cabin from December 11 to December 20.

Launch passengers said they usually pay Tk 60-100 for a seat on the deck depending on the quality of the launch on Dhaka-Barisal route, but now the launch staffers are charging around Tk 70 more ahead of Eid.

Launch and bus terminal officials, however, claimed that they are charging fares fixed by the government.

The launch staff claimed that they charge Tk 300 for a single cabin and Tk 600 for a double cabin although the government fares are Tk 600 and Tk 1,200. The fare they charge for the deck is also less than that fixed by the government, they said.

Bus terminal authorities said on usual days they charge around Tk 50 less than the fare fixed by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority to get more passengers, but ahead of Eid they charge the full fare.

Meanwhile, launches have as usual started carrying more passengers than their allowed capacity.

Launches leaving from Sadarghat terminal yesterday afternoon were seen carrying three times more people than their capacity.

Launch Owners’ Association Convener (Dhaka Zone) Kamal Hossain admitted the fact but said it was done “for the sake of the passengers”.

During a visit to different launch counters for a ticket on Dhaka-Amtoli (Barguna) route, the counter staffs told The Daily Star correspondent that all tickets exhausted seven days ago.

A staff of Mitali-6 launch, however, agreed to sell a double cabin ticket only after he was assured that money did not matter. He initially demanded Tk 2,000 as the fare but later agreed at Tk 1,600 after bargaining. Usually the fare of such a cabin is Tk 600.

Bangladesh Railway (BR) officials said they have 23 intercity expresses and five mail trains and six private mail trains and that these trains have a capacity to carry around 20,000 passengers every day. But, they will sell 20,000 more tickets for the Eid vacation so that all people can go to their destinations.

Considering the pressure of passengers on the eve of Eid, the BR has made special arrangements including adding extra three-five compartments to each intercity express trains, operating extra trains and more trips on several routes.

Selling of advance train tickets started on December 11 and ended December 15.

Kamalapur Railway Station Master AKM Shamsul Huq Prodhan said all advance tickets for December 16-20 have been sold out, but tickets without sitting arrangement will be sold considering the pressure of passengers.

He said around 30,000 passengers will be carried every day immediately before Eid vacation.

He, however, denied the allegations of irregularity in ticket selling.

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