The much-vaunted Padma Bridge has plunged launch, ferry, and speedboat operators at the Shimulia ghat into a crisis as there has been a sharp drop-off in passengers since the bridge opened on Sunday.
In contrast to the long queues at the Mawa entrance of the Padma Bridge on Sunday, the usually-busy Shimulia ghat was almost deserted. The pressure of passengers at the ferry terminal remained low on Monday.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Shimulia River Port Officer Shahadat Hossain told Dhaka Tribune: “Launch and speed boats have been operating as usual but the number of passengers is much lower than it used to be."
Responding to a query, he said launches and speedboats operated an average of more than 300 trips per day on the Shimulia-Banglabazar and Shimulia-Majhirkandi routes before the bridge opened.
On Sunday, there were only 70 trips and there had been only 30 trips as of on Monday afternoon.
Nine ferries, 85 launches, and 155 speedboats operated on the routes on a daily basis prior to the opening of the Padma Bridge.
The usual ferry fares are Tk70 for motorcycles, Tk500 for cars and jeeps, Tk800 for luxury jeeps, Tk860 for microbuses, Tk950 for minibuses, Tk1,350 for medium buses, Tk1,580 for buses, Tk1,080 for trucks up to five tons, Tk1,400 for trucks weighing 5-8 tons, Tk1,850 for trucks weighing 8-11 tons, and Tk3,940 for three-axle trucks.
Launch fares are Tk45 per person, and speedboat fares Tk150 per person.
Locals said only people who live or work close to the ferry terminal on each end now use the waterway, while the rest opt for the Padma Bridge.
When contacted, BIWTA Public Relations Officer Nazrul Islam Misha said no ferry had operated on the Mawa-Jajira point route since the inauguration of the Padma Bridge.
Officials at Shimulia ghat said one BITWA ferry did begin its journey with several motorcycles on board, but it had to return to the ghat after facing navigation issues.
A Dhaka Tribune photographer visited the Mawa point on Monday and observed that a good number of youths, mostly bikers, had gathered beside the Shimulia ghat to take pictures on the Padma bridge.
Motorcycles were banned on the bridge following a deadly accident on Sunday night.
When contacted on Monday afternoon, State Minister of the Ministry of Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury told Dhaka Tribune the authorities were planning to rearrange ferries on other routes as the pressure of passengers at the Shimulia ghat was unlikely to increase to previous levels following the inauguration of the Padma Bridge.
“We have 8 ferries at the Shimulia ghat; we will shift two ferries to Chandpur, one ferry to Pabna and the other six ferries will operate on the Shimulia-Banglabazar route,'' he said.
The minister also said the plan would be evaluated following the Eid-ul-Azha holidays.
Mawa point of Munshiganj has been a major travel hub for people from the southern regions of Bangladesh since 1986.
