Ferry services on two routes to and from Munshiganj have been disrupted. These are the Munshiganj-Gazaria route and the Shimulia-Kathalbari route.
The recently inaugurated Munshiganj-Gazaria route has seen very little traffic due to very poor roads on both sides of the route. This has led to the only ferry on the route to wait hours for any traffic at all – often crossing the channel with only a handful of vehicles; while those on the other side go back due to the lack of a ferry.
Fazlu Rahman, the master of this ferry, said the roads need to be repaired quickly in order to justify the construction of the Tk9.5 crore ferry port.
Dhaka zone executive engineers have met regarding the matter, and have taken the decision to repair this road.
Meanwhile, on the Shimulia-Kathalbari route, 13 ferries are now operational after low water levels prevented any movement on the route earlier in the week. However, four tugboat-drawn barges are still unable to operate on the route.
As a result, 150-200 vehicles are still waiting at the terminals on either side of the crossing, with authorities claiming that the traffic situation will not get much better unless the ferry situation improves.
Thousands of people are crossing the channel using launches, or going back to Dhaka after failing to cross the river.
However, in Manikganj’s Paturia, authorities have taken a number of actions in order to ensure smooth operations during the Eid rush.
On top of this, they have also declared high priority for trucks carrying cattle, while trucks carrying other goods have been denied access to the terminal. This policy will remain in place from three days before Eid till three days after.
Authorities have also ensured tight security in order to stop third parties from extracting bribes from vehicle owners during the rush period.
A total of 21 ferries will be active in the route to ensure high efficiency. Emergency teams have been prepared to repair the ferries quickly in the event of technical issues.