Mohammad Khorshed Helali, Cox’s Bazar: The sea-truck service on the Cox’s Bazar-Maheshkhali waterway has been officially launched. On Thursday (April 24) at around 11:15 AM, the service was inaugurated at the Nuniarchar BIWTA terminal in Cox’s Bazar by Brigadier General (Retd.) M. Sakhawat Hossain, Advisor to the Ministry of Shipping. Following the inauguration, the advisor traveled by sea-truck from the Nuniarchar terminal, crossing approximately eight kilometers of sea, to reach Maheshkhali. The journey took 45 minutes, and the sea-truck arrived at Maheshkhali jetty. Notable scholar and researcher from Maheshkhali, Professor Dr. Salimullah Khan, accompanied the advisor on the sea-truck.
Upon arrival, an inaugural ceremony was held at the BIWTA jetty in Maheshkhali, conducted by UNO Hedayet Ullah. Brigadier General (Retd.) M. Sakhawat Hossain addressed the event as the chief guest. Other guests included Commodore Arif Ahmed Mustafa, Chairman of BIWTA; Md. Salimullah, Chairman of BIWTC; Md. Ziaul Islam, Member (Planning and Operations) of BIWTA; Mohammad Salah Uddin, Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar; Md. Saif Uddin Shaheen, Superintendent of Police, Cox’s Bazar; A.K.M. Arif Uddin, Director (Port) of BIWTA; Md. Rakibul Islam Talukder, Chief Engineer (Dredging) of BIWTA; and Md. Khairuzzaman, Assistant Director of the BIWTA Cox’s Bazar (Kosturaghat) river port.
Speaking at the event, Brigadier General (Retd.) M. Sakhawat Hossain said, “For the last 40 to 50 years, the island residents have been held hostage by political mafia groups. This service was delayed because of them. From now on, island residents can travel safely by sea-truck. Arrangements will be made to ensure nighttime travel for island residents as well.”
He further stated, “Preparations were made to conduct dredging for the residents of the island to travel through Cox’s Bazar’s 6th Jetty. However, the dredging activity is currently halted due to a legal case. Once the legal process is completed, dredging at the 6th Jetty will resume quickly, allowing island residents to commute directly via the 6th Jetty in Cox’s Bazar.”
Regarding fare reductions, the advisor said, “Initially, the minimum fare for the sea-truck was set at 50 taka. However, for the convenience of island residents, the fare from Nuniarchar to Maheshkhali has been reduced to 30 taka, and from Cox’s Bazar 6th Jetty to Maheshkhali, it has been set at 35 taka. Island residents can now travel safely on this water route at a low cost. For now, one sea-truck will operate on this route, and another sea-truck will be introduced soon.”
At the inaugural event, Professor Salimullah Khan remarked, “Maheshkhali has seen significant development. Its name is now recognized internationally. However, there has been no development of the Cox’s Bazar and Maheshkhali jetties over the last 23 years. Since the political shift on August 5, the interim government has taken groundbreaking steps for Maheshkhali, including initiating modern communication systems. However, all problems have not yet been resolved. With the sea-truck service, island residents can now travel safely. The previous use of speedboats on this route was risky, and people were forced to travel under dangerous conditions.”
According to BIWTA, the sea-truck will depart daily from Cox’s Bazar at 8:30 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM for Maheshkhali. From Maheshkhali, the sea-truck will depart at 7:30 AM, 11:00 AM, and 5:00 PM.
