Water bus, an alternative transport for the people of the capital, has started its journey to give city dwellers relief to some extent from unbearable traffic congestion.
Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan yesterday inaugurated the water bus services with a capacity of carrying 35 passengers every trip from Gabtoli to Sadarghat after a pause of one and half hours.
The buses scheduled to carry passengers from 7:00 am to 6:00pm would take 30 minutes for every trip, the minister said. But journalists experienced that the trip took 1:15 minutes. They also suspected about popularity of the transport as landing station of Gabtoli was far away from the bus station.
The Shipping Minister said the fare for 16 km journey from Sadarghat to Gabtoli was fixed at Tk 30. However, fares from Kholamura and Bosila would be lower, he added.
Shahjahan Khan said Bangladeshi company Nitol Niloy and Indian company Merolyn Engineering Works (pvt) Ltd would implement the project jointly.
The companies would add 10 water buses on the Turag-Buriganga route within three or four months, he mentioned.
“Air-conditioned water buses will also be added to these buses on route so that people can enjoy better journey on the water way than land way,” the minister said.
Marking the inauguration, a simple ceremony was arranged at the Gabtoli Landing Station where Shipping Minister said steps had been taken to make the routes suitable for the buses. Thirteen bridges on the rivers around the city would also be heightened.
Already, the Prime Minister has instructed the concerened ministry to start work in this matter soon, he said.
In the programme, State Minister for Law Kamrul Islam, State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, MP, Nasrul Hamid, MP, Mijanur Rahman, MP, Begum Habibur Rahman, MP, and BIWTA Chairman Abdul Malek,among others, spoke.
Shipping Secretary Abdul Mannan Howlader presided over the function.
Ministry sources reveal that the buses are 38.38 feet long, 11.48 feet wide, 60 feet high and can accommodate 35 passengers each.
The buses are driven by two 75 horse-power engines giving them the highest speed of 12 nautical miles per hour allowing to reach Gabtoli from Sadarghat in 50 minutes.
Local firm Three-angle Marine Consultant has finished in building two buses at a cost of Tk 11.15 million.
