Staff Reporter :
Excessive pressure of vehicles at Daulatdia ferry ghat in Rajbari created a 12-kilometre long tailback on Saturday due to hurricane of people from 21 districts of the southern and western parts of the country en route to the capital via the Paturia-Daulatdia ghat after Eid-ul-Fitr celebration.
Before Eid, people from those districts crossed the river and went home using highways, on motorcycles, private cars, microbuses, and buses as well as ferries. Similarly, now they are returning to their workplaces in the capital Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, and surrounding areas. Many travellers were seen heading towards the ghat with children and elderly persons hiring rickshaws or auto-rickshaws.
A passenger named Sanwar Hossain, who works at a private organisation, said he was stuck on the highway from 12 midnight on Friday. So,, he hired a rickshaw with Tk 200 to reach the ghat as his office opened on Saturday.
While visiting Paturia ghat in Manikganj on Saturday morning, the empty terminal was found. There was no transport vehicle, but small number of cars, or few buses and emergency cargo vehicles.
However, after a few minutes, hundreds of passengers were seen rushing to Paturia Ghat with motorcycles and small cars all the way from Daulatdia ferry ghat in Rajbari.
Around 10:30 am, a large overcrowded ferry was spotted at Pontoon No 4 of the Paturia ferry ghat. Hundreds of motorcycles, 30 private cars and hundreds of passengers were seen leaving the ferry.
Two minutes later, another pocket of the same pontoon was seen crowded with a medium-sized ferry. More than 50 motorcycles, 15 small cars and 60-70 passengers were seen departing the ferry..
Abul Hossain from Kushtia said, “I went home riding my motorcycle to celebrate Eid. I am returning to Dhaka in the same way. My office starts today. This time there were no complications anywhere on the way.”Kanika Saha of Rajbari said, “I got down at Paturia ghat from the ferry. Now I will go to to Dhaka. That’s what we want in the coming years.”
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Deputy General Manager (Commerce) of Aricha Regional Office Shah Md Khaled Newaz said, “All the 21 ferries are operational. The pressure of cars is more at the Dautidia ghat in Rajbari. Due to good management on roads, highways and waterways, passengers and vehicles can easily return to work.”
“A total of 46,000 vehicles crossed and went to Daulatdia in the four days leading to Eid. Millions of passengers passed the river on the ferry. And after Eid, in the last three days, 36,000 vehicles have returned to Dhaka via Paturia from Daulatdia. Among these cars, the number of motorcycles and small cars is more. In addition to cars, more than 75,000 people have returned.”
On the other hand, at 11am, the Paturia launch ghat saw an overflowing crowd to their workplaces.
Within half an hour, four launches were seen docking on the ghat. From each launch, 150-200 people were seen leaving.
“There was no problem for people to cross the river from Daulatdia in Rajbari to Paturia Ghat in Manikganj, as all the launches were operational at Paturia-Daulatdia waterway,” said Panna Lal Nandi, supervisor of Paturia launch ghat.
