The ferry service on Paturia-Daulatdia route resumed with three small ferries at around 2:00 pm on Wednesday after 40 hours of disruption due to low navigability, strong current and hidden shoals in the river Padma. Deputy general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Shahadat Hossain said K-type ferry Kumari started for Daulatdia ghat from Paturia ghat at around 2:00 pm carrying four trucks and successfully reached Daulatdia ghat. Since then, the other two K-type ferries—Ketoki and Kopoti are in operation, he said.
Around three hundreds trucks were seen lined up at Paturia ghat at around 4:00 pm. Goods-laden trucks have been standing in long queues for minimum three days, he added. The Paturia-Daulatdia channel has only six feet of water whereas a ferry needs at least eight feet deep water level to ply, the BIWTC official said.
This caused the longest ferry service disruption in the route ever, since 1964, he said.
However, executive engineer (dredging unit) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), Toriqul Islam said two of their dredgers have been working since Tuesday to keep the channel navigable for ferries.
Meanwhile, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan on Tuesday evening visited Paturia and Daulatdia ferry ghat to see the situation and said, ‘We are the victims of nature. There is no scope to fight with nature.’ The minister requested to the owners of the vehicles and drivers to go to their destination using alternative way through Paturia- Kazirhat, Mawa-Kawrakandi, Joukura-Nazirganj routes.
Four of the BIWTA dredgers have been working since Tuesday to keep the channel navigable for ferries and if necessary, 10 more dredgers will work to resolve the crisis, the minister informed local reporters. He also asked BIWTA and BIWTC staffs to stay at their respective ghats until the situation becomes normal.
BIWTC chairman Mohammed Mozibur Rahaman, BIWTA chairman Dr. Khandaker Samsul Huda, its senior officials, deputy commissioner of Manikganj Masood Karim, police super BidhanTripua, chief Engineer of BIWTA (dredging) Hasan Mahmud Tareque, Shivalaya Upazila nirbahi offiicer AKM Galiv Khan, additional police super Md. Mizanur Rahaman, DGM of BIWTC Shahadat Hossain, among others, were present during his visit.
-With The Independent input
