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Bhola’s historic Kheyaghat launch terminal, once the district’s main gateway and a bustling hub of river transport, has been lying deserted for nearly two and a half months as launch services remain suspended.
The terminal, located about three kilometres from Bhola town, was once a busy river port where eight passenger launches operated regularly on the Bhola-Dhaka route. The terminal used to be filled with passengers, launch whistles, workers’ calls and the hustle and bustle of vendors and transport workers.
However, the scene has changed dramatically. No passenger launch is currently operating from the terminal. The last two launches suspended their services on July 5, citing a shortage of passengers and financial losses.
Since then, the entire terminal area has become largely inactive. Workers who depended on loading and unloading goods have become unemployed, while businesses around the terminal have also suffered. Several offices remain locked and the pontoons are mostly empty.
Khokon, a representative of the lessee of Bhola Kheyaghat, said the terminal used to become particularly busy in the evening when launches arrived one after another and passengers crowded the premises.
“The Bhola-Dhaka waterway was once one of the major modes of transportation for people in the southern region. But the situation has changed since the launch terminal at Ilisha became operational. One by one, launches stopped coming to this terminal due to a shortage of passengers,” he said.
He said the terminal had been leased for Tk 42.04 lakh, resulting in substantial losses for the lessee since launch operations were suspended.
“If BIWTA can persuade the launch owners to resume services, it would be good. Otherwise, we want our lease money back,” he said.
Terminal workers said they previously earned their livelihoods by loading and unloading goods from launches. With no launches arriving, they have been left without work and are struggling to support their families.
“If launches resume, the businesses dependent on the terminal will also survive,” one worker said.
Shopkeepers at the terminal also said their sales had declined significantly since the suspension of launch services. They urged the authorities to take initiatives to restore services so that small businesses could survive.
Alauddin, manager of Messrs Brother Navigation, said the company was losing more than Tk 100,000 every day when its launch operated from the terminal.
“Passenger numbers are no longer what they used to be. Most passengers now travel through Ilisha. That is why we have temporarily stopped bringing launches to this terminal,” he said.
BIWTA Bhola River Port Assistant Director Nirmal Kumar Roy said the launches Karnaphuli-9 and Jamjam, which operated on the route, had stopped berthing at the terminal since July 5.
“As a result, many passengers who come to use this route have to return without travelling. The lessee has submitted an application to the BIWTA chairman seeking a refund of the lease money because launch services have been suspended,” he said.
Roy said steps would be taken to restore launch services at the terminal to facilitate the transportation of goods and reduce pressure on other terminals.
BIWTA declared Bhola Kheyaghat the district’s first and only labour-handling point in 2004. At one time, eight passenger launches operated from the terminal, carrying thousands of passengers from different upazilas of the district to Dhaka every day.
The terminal has various passenger facilities and was once considered an important part of Bhola’s river transport network. At present, BIWTA operates 14 launch terminals in Bhola.
Local residents hope that the historic Kheyaghat terminal will regain its former importance through initiatives involving Bhola-1 MP and Information and Broadcasting Minister Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partha.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/country/1f1b40b3-4ac6-67f0-8ed4-824ffd52ca16