Passengers travelling between Sandwip and the mainland faced severe disruption after Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC)’s only passenger vessel, MV Malancha, suddenly suspended operations.
The shutdown left thousands of commuters stranded, while allegations of extra fare collection on the Kumira–Guptachara route surfaced.
The vessel master Amir Hossain announced the service schedule at 5pm on Wednesday as usual. However, at 7pm, he issued a fresh notice stating that operations on the Chattogram Guptachara–Banshbaria route had been temporarily suspended due to technical faults.
The service had only resumed on 10 June after remaining halted for two consecutive days due to rough sea conditions and Local Warning Signal No 3. But the ferry service again stopped from Thursday morning, 11 June, after mechanical issues developed.
In the morning, MV Malancha was scheduled to depart from Guptachara Ghat in Sandwip, but the trip was cancelled due to technical problems. The vessel was then kept at the jetty while emergency repair work began.
Master Amir Hossain said a fault was detected in the vessel’s gear system. He said the day’s trip was cancelled and repair work was underway. However, he could not confirm when the vessel would resume operations.
Alongside the passenger vessel, ferries operate on the Banshbaria–Guptachara route carrying passengers and vehicles. Speedboats and trawlers also operate on the Kumira–Guptachara route. However, rough seas and adverse weather during the monsoon season make travel on these smaller vessels risky. As a result, most passengers depend on ferries and the passenger vessel for safe travel.
With the suspension of MV Malancha, passenger pressure increased at Kumira Ghat. Taking advantage of the situation, speedboat operators allegedly charged Tk300 instead of the fixed fare of Tk260.
Passenger Sajul Kabir Saed said there was heavy crowding at Kumira Ghat in the morning. He said ticket seller Alamgir informed passengers that no ticket would be sold below Tk300.
Repeated attempts to contact ticket seller Alamgir for comment were unsuccessful as his mobile phone remained switched off.
Passengers said they mainly depend on the vessel and ferries for safe travel during the monsoon season. They demanded quick repair of MV Malancha and restoration of normal passenger transport services on the route.
