AMTALI, BARGUNA, Feb 5: The government is getting crore of Taka as lease revenue from Purakata Kheyaghat (ferry-ghat) in Amtali Upazila of the district, depriving passengers of necessary facilities.
This ferry-ghat has been leased by the district administration. But there is no allocation for improving its infrastructure for public facilities.
Due to lack of passengers' boarding and dropping facilities, accidents are frequent at the ghat.
Yet, in order to upgrade the condition of the ghat, the district administration has taken a move to develop it.
According to sources at the district administration, this year a total of Tk 1.53 crore has been taken from the leasee of the ghat.
A visit found passengers boarding and dropping of pontoon in the absence of separate ghat; passengers were seen suffering with their goods and bikes.
Due to lack of supervising the passengers' canopy of the ferryghat, it has been used by a mosque Moazzin by locking it.
Manager of the lease Safiqul Islam Nabin said, "We give crores of Taka lease money yearly. But there is no passengers' facility.
The ghat needs a separate passengers' ghat. So, the pontoon is being used as the ghat."
While talking with this correspondent of The Daily Observer, a number of regular passengers said, "We have to get on the pontoon for boarding the ferry with bikes. Here slipping is likely."
Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shafiul Alam said, after inspecting the ferry ghat, measures will be taken about what needs to develop it.
