Eid holidaymakers crowd Shimulia ferry port

The Shimulia ferry port in Munshiganj is teeming with crowds of people heading back to Dhaka. Many others are leaving the capital, heading home with the meat from ritual sacrifices.

Passengers looking to make a river crossing had to wait for hours, the day after Eid, despite nearly all the launches and ferries at the port being in operation, Md Shafiqul Islam, the BIWTC assistant general manager at the port.

Fourteen of the 19 ferries on the Shimulia-Banglabazar route and 86 of its 87 launches were in operation on Thursday, he said.

Though regulations say that public transports can take only half their capacity during the pandemic, passengers are crowding the vessels regardless and authorities are struggling to handle the rush. The ferries are also navigating across the turbulent Padma waters.

Crowds have been overflowing the port since Thursday morning, Shafiqul said. The lines of traffic at the port have only grown longer. There is also an unusual congestion of people near the launch pier. No one seems to be following health restrictions.