A shipping ministry meeting to fix launch fares ended on Monday without any decision.
The ministry formed a seven-member sub-committee to recommend new fare rates by this afternoon, said shipping ministry secretary Md Mostafa Kamal.
The decision would be taken by the state minister for shipping ministry, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, after submission of the recommended fare rate and a circular in this regard would be published on August 10, the shipping ministry secretary said at a press briefing held after the meeting was held at the ministry conference room at the secretariat.
The fare would be increased reasonably, he added.
Meanwhile, in a letter sent to the shipping ministry and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority on Sunday, the Bangladesh Inland Waterways (Passenger Carriers) Association urged the government to increase the fares of passenger vessels to Tk 4.60 a kilometre from Tk 2.30 for the first 100 kilometres and to Tk 4 a kilometre from Tk 2 beyond 100 kilometres.
In the letter, the association said that following the opening of the Padma Bridge, most of the people from southern districts were using road transports, leading the launch business to incur huge losses.
Earlier on Friday night the government increased the price of diesel almost 50 per cent and the prices of different spare parts, including plates, angles, propellers, welding rods, were increased by about 200 per cent.
