Two out of three ferries on Chandpur-Shariatpur route have been dysfunctional, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers in the southern districts of the country.
The Korovi ferry broke down on Sunday night while Kastori has been inoperative since a few days ago.
Currenly, only a single ferry, Kishori, is plying the Chandpur-Shariatpur route. Consequently, hundreds of vehicles carrying passengers and goods are stuck on the roads, creating a huge tailback.
Many passengers, who came from Khulna and Jessore by bus, Wednesday crossed the river by boat to reach Chandpur and Shariatpur.
Besides, a large number of goods-laden trucks were queued at the ferry ghat on Monday afternoon since Kishori can only take four large trucks at a time.
Passengers who came to Chandpur from Narhinghpur of Shariatpur said they faced huge difficulties while travelling.
Jasim, a driver who came from Chittagong, expressed frustration with the long wait for the ferry.
Kasem, a driver who came from Shariatpur, said there were a lot of perishable products in the vehicles that were waiting for the ferry.
Traders may incur huge losses, if the goods did not reach their destination on time, he added. Sources at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority said they would send a new ferry soon to solve the crisis.