Hundreds of working people were seen arriving in Dhaka in huge numbers through the Shimulia-Kathalbari ferry route on Friday.
Most of these people are readymade garment workers in the industrial belts of Gazipur and Narayanganj of Dhaka, said locals.
The workers are desperate to reach Dhaka as their factories were permitted to resume operation, raising fears of an increased spread of the new coronavirus (Covid-19).
Workers began to return from a week and as their numbers grew each day, six ferries had operated on Friday, which was only three in the past few days, said sources.
In the absence of public transport, they travelled by pickup vans and battery-run auto-rickshaws, paying two to three times the usual fare to reach Shimulia ferry point.
Police had received no directive from the government to allow the workers' return. While replying to a query regarding the matter, Abdul Momen, superintendent of police in Munshiganj, said: "Munshiganj is under similar directives as the other districts of the country. But workers can not be sent back from the ferry-ghats, as it will only complicate the situation. The authorities should stop the workers from the place that they have been returning from, not in the middle of their journey."
Mawa river police outpost in-charge Shirajul Islam said that since morning hundreds of passengers were coming from Kathalbari terminal and they reached Shimulia terminal through ferries and trawlers.
Md Shafiqul Islam, assistant general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), at Shimulia terminal, said: "On Friday, four ferries reached Shimulia terminal from Kathalbari terminal until 12am. Every one of those had a huge number of working people.