Eid travelers crowd Shimulia-Paturia ferry ghats

The rush of homebound people and transport on Friday had increased manifold at Paturia and Shimulia ferry terminal despite pandemic restrictions. With the weekly holiday, both people and vehicles were seen in large numbers at the ferry ghat. 

Private vehicles and goods-laden trucks formed long queues at the terminal. Concerned authorities said the scenario returned normal. 

Zillur Rahman, deputy general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Aricha office said, “The pressure of passengers and vehicles has increased after intra-district public transport resumed from yesterday (Thursday),”  he said. The pressure also increased today (Friday) due to the weekly holiday. 

Currently, out of 16 ferries, three ferries were plying on Paturia-Daulatdia route to ferry passengers and vehicles. A total of 300 hundred vehicles, both small and big were waiting to cross the river, the official added.  

Heavy crowds of people returning home for Eid had descended on Munshiganj’s Shimulia port. 

The number of ferry passengers has increased because launches and speedboats are not allowed to operate, said Md Shafiqul Islam, assistant general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation. 

Unable to cope with the onrush of passengers, some ferries had departed without a single vehicle on board. As a result, over a thousand freight and private vehicles were congesting the area around the port.

Though long-haul buses are not operating during the lockdown, buses can still operate within their own districts. People are piling into smaller transports, like freight trucks or pick-ups, to make their way from Dhaka to Shimulia to cross the Padma to head home to the southern districts. 

All 87 launches on this river route have ceased operating due to the lockdown, BIWTC official Shafiqul said. About 450 speedboats and several hundred trawlers have also halted operations since the speedboat accident in Madaripur’s Shibchar.