COX'S BAZAR, July 7: Passenger trawler services on the Teknaf�"St Martin's route have remained suspended for six consecutive days due to rough seas and adverse weather, disrupting normal life on the island and raising concerns over shortages of essential commodities.
According to local sources, all passenger trawler services on the route have remained suspended from last Thursday through Tuesday.
St Martin's Island, an isolated island under Teknaf Upazila, depends almost entirely on the mainland for the supply of food and other daily necessities. With transport services suspended, residents have begun to worry about shortages of essential goods.
Due to the inclement weather, no service trawlers have operated between Teknaf and the island since the morning of July 2. Authorities have suspended all passenger and other vessels on the route as warning signals remain in force at Cox's Bazar seaport.
Faruk Ahmed, a ticket seller for vessels operating on the St Martin's route, said services would resume once the warning signals were withdrawn. He added that many passengers were stranded on both sides of the route.
Abdur Rashid, president of the St Martin's Service Trawler Owners' Association, said 26 trawlers normally operate on the route, with two or three running daily on a rotational basis. All of them are currently out of service because of the rough weather.
Acting Chairman of the St Martin's Union Parishad Fayezul Islam said island residents had been facing increasing hardship due to the prolonged suspension of trawler services, adding that such disruptions are common during June and July every year.
He expressed concern that emergency medical cases could become life-threatening if patients were unable to reach the mainland.
He said discussions had been held with the Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and the Bangladesh Coast Guard on the possibility of using a Coast Guard vessel stationed at Shah Porir Dwip to transport Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinees from the island to Teknaf if necessary.
Teknaf UNO S.M. Anik Chowdhury said the suspension of trawler services was unavoidable because of the adverse weather. He added that the matter concerning HSC candidates stranded on the island had been reported to the relevant ministry, and necessary steps would be taken once instructions were received.
