A Correspondent :
Once a bustling commercial hub, a harbour sheltering hundreds of boats moving across the river Karnaphuli, a common meeting place for those making for village home or heading for the city, Kalurghat, a place, where the rebels committed to free Chittagong from British rule under the leadership of Surya Shen, gave the English a tremendous fight, is gradually losing its importance.
If the administration does not come up to restore this commercially and historically important place with some urgency, there is every likelihood of its being lost in oblivion.
Prominently though, the original Kalurghat is on the western bank of the river Karnaphuli and is adjacent to the famous Kalurghat bridge built by the British govt., in remote past, principally for installing rail roads, the ghat importantly serves the purpose of the people of neighboring three upazillas, namely, Boalkhali, Raojan, and Rangunia.
Besides, its usefulness as a spot for boarding and dismounting boat passengers, it is used as a dumping station for all varities of fruits and vegetables grown in the hill districts of Khagrachari, Rangamati and Bandarban.
Taking advantage of the easiness and Cheaper cost for loading and unloading of goods, a team of traders have grown here who stock the goods and sell those in city markets. People engaged in stocking are popularly known as Adathder. The main items that they generally deal in are Bananas, pumpkins, sweet pumpkins, mangoes, blackberries, jackfruits, pineapples, lichees and other types of seasonal fruits. As a follow up flourishing trade and commerce, the boatmen, the laborers also thrived economically and were quite happy with their lives. But those pleasant days are now a far fetched dream for them. The incessant rain pourine down almost all over the year and consequent unprecedented tidal bore have turned the ghat, so to say, into a burial ground (swasan ghat). The combined force of rain and tidal bore, in some places, washed away mud making the ghat unfit for use. the natural disaster has a negative effect prompting passengers and traders taking recourse to bus, trucks and other motorized vehicles as they find suitable.
Abdul Karim, a resident middle Mohara, under Chandgon Thana,told correspondent that until 1990 people belonging to three upazillas and six unions, namely, Kalurghat, Lamborhat, Panchkhain, Baguwan, Koyepara, Kharandwip, Kerani Bazar, Bandhaljori under Boalkhali P.S, Charndwip Masjidghat, Fakirakhali Noarastha, Chowdhuryhat of kadhurkhil, Jamtal and gudaikhali used to frequent Chttagong city and back again by engine propelled boats.
Boat Journey was then cheaper, safer and very pleasent. The sighting of setting sun from the boat’s roof was really an experience which one would like to keep fresh in memory forever .
The boat men who once enjoyed a prosperous life with an earning sufficient to maintain a family now pass leisurely time in the ghat without any work to do. A lot of them have migrated to the city to try luck. other wait in the ghat from dawn to dusk hoping for some one to hire them for the day.
Once a bustling commercial hub, a harbour sheltering hundreds of boats moving across the river Karnaphuli, a common meeting place for those making for village home or heading for the city, Kalurghat, a place, where the rebels committed to free Chittagong from British rule under the leadership of Surya Shen, gave the English a tremendous fight, is gradually losing its importance.
If the administration does not come up to restore this commercially and historically important place with some urgency, there is every likelihood of its being lost in oblivion.
Prominently though, the original Kalurghat is on the western bank of the river Karnaphuli and is adjacent to the famous Kalurghat bridge built by the British govt., in remote past, principally for installing rail roads, the ghat importantly serves the purpose of the people of neighboring three upazillas, namely, Boalkhali, Raojan, and Rangunia.
Besides, its usefulness as a spot for boarding and dismounting boat passengers, it is used as a dumping station for all varities of fruits and vegetables grown in the hill districts of Khagrachari, Rangamati and Bandarban.
Taking advantage of the easiness and Cheaper cost for loading and unloading of goods, a team of traders have grown here who stock the goods and sell those in city markets. People engaged in stocking are popularly known as Adathder. The main items that they generally deal in are Bananas, pumpkins, sweet pumpkins, mangoes, blackberries, jackfruits, pineapples, lichees and other types of seasonal fruits. As a follow up flourishing trade and commerce, the boatmen, the laborers also thrived economically and were quite happy with their lives. But those pleasant days are now a far fetched dream for them. The incessant rain pourine down almost all over the year and consequent unprecedented tidal bore have turned the ghat, so to say, into a burial ground (swasan ghat). The combined force of rain and tidal bore, in some places, washed away mud making the ghat unfit for use. the natural disaster has a negative effect prompting passengers and traders taking recourse to bus, trucks and other motorized vehicles as they find suitable.
Abdul Karim, a resident middle Mohara, under Chandgon Thana,told correspondent that until 1990 people belonging to three upazillas and six unions, namely, Kalurghat, Lamborhat, Panchkhain, Baguwan, Koyepara, Kharandwip, Kerani Bazar, Bandhaljori under Boalkhali P.S, Charndwip Masjidghat, Fakirakhali Noarastha, Chowdhuryhat of kadhurkhil, Jamtal and gudaikhali used to frequent Chttagong city and back again by engine propelled boats.
Boat Journey was then cheaper, safer and very pleasent. The sighting of setting sun from the boat’s roof was really an experience which one would like to keep fresh in memory forever .
The boat men who once enjoyed a prosperous life with an earning sufficient to maintain a family now pass leisurely time in the ghat without any work to do. A lot of them have migrated to the city to try luck. other wait in the ghat from dawn to dusk hoping for some one to hire them for the day.
