The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is preparing to act against trawlers and speedboats operating illegally in the Meghna river danger zone in defiance of a ban on the Ilisha-Lakshmipur route, state news agency BSS reported from Bhola on 16 May 2026.
Every year from 15 March to 15 October, a stretch of about 110km from Bhola’s Ilisha point to the river mouth is declared a danger zone in which only sea trucks may carry passengers. Passengers at Ilisha launch ghat told BSS that the four sea trucks and two launches serving the route were not enough, that scheduled services were often suspended citing low passenger numbers, and that people paid extra to cross on unsafe boats, most of which lack documents and life jackets. One passenger warned of a possible “major accident at any time”.
Nirmal Kumar Roy, BIWTA assistant director at Bhola river port, said the administration, River Police, Coast Guard and BIWTA conduct joint operations in the zone each year and officials had been told to act. Bhola Superintendent of Police Shahidullah Kawsar said specialised teams were working to make launch journeys safer during Eid-ul-Adha.
Source
- BSS: “BIWTA prepares to halt risky vessels in coastal danger zones” (16 May 2026)
File photo: the Meghna river. Photo: Alrazy Sonet / CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
This article is a summary prepared by Maritime News BD from the report(s) listed above; it was not independently reported by Maritime News BD.
