News Desk :
Hundreds of vehicles waiting to cross the Padma river remain stranded at the Paturia ferry ghat, triggering a 3km tailback in the area.
These vehicles, mostly buses, microbuses and private cars, have been stranded at the ferry ghat since the small hours of Saturday, causing immense sufferings to those on board, reports UNB.
Officials said that these vehicles have been waiting to board ferries on the busy Paturia-Daulatdia route. “At least 3,000 home-bound people are also waiting to cross the Padma river,” an official said.
To tackle the chaotic situation at the terminal, the ferries are taking in passengers beyond their capacities.
Md Shah Newaz, deputy general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), said already the movement of goods-laden vehicles on this route has been suspended.
“Only those vehicles stuck for several days in the ghat area are being allowed to cross the river. We may add one more ferry to cater to the mad rush,” he said.
Golam Azad Khan, superintendent of Manikganj Police, said that additional police force has been deployed at the ghat to help control vehicular movement and maintain discipline in the terminal area.
Currently, 21 ferries are operating on the Paturia-Daulatdia route to tackle the huge pressure of vehicles and passengers.
Meanwhile, vehicle movement at Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways was slow but did not reach grinding halt and as a result there was no hours-long tailback.
“”Vehicle movement was a bit slow in the area up to Telipara via Chandna intersection due to increased congestion in the morning,” said Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun.
“However, as the day progressed, the traffic became normal. Additional traffic police personnel were deployed at various points,” he added
On Saturday, rush of homebound people was minimal at bus and launch terminals except the train terminals which were overly crowded which began to ease after 10am.
Many long-haul buses left with passengers who had booked tickets in advance with remaining seats empty.
Rana added that he thinks the terminal may be less crowded as most tickets were sold online.
Besides, those who had not booked in advance, hopped on local buses to their destination. Many of these travellers alleged that local bus operators were charging extra.
Meanwhile, there was an overflowing crowd at the Kamlapur Railway Station in the capital since Saturday morning. Many passengers, who could not avail tickets, boarded onto the trains to take the journey home standing while others opted for a riskier alternative of taking the ride on the roof.
At the Shimulia Ghat in Munshiganj and the Paturia Ghat in Manikganj there was heavy rush of homebound people.
BIWTC’s Shimulia Ghat Manager (Commerce) Mohammad Faisal said a total of 10 ferries are currently operating.
He added that until 3pm on Saturday, over 1,000 vehicle crossed the river and through Ghat-1, which was dedicated to motorcycles, some 5,000 bikes crossed the river.
From the Paturia Ghat, about 900 buses, over 4,000 small vehicles, over 3,000 motorcycles and about 500 trucks crossed the river in 24 hours, according to BIWTC sources.
Heavy traffic was reported at various points in the 22km area from Bangabandhu Bridge to Sirajganj Road roundabout. The congestion cleared quickly and thankfully the holidaymakers on roads did not turn into gridlocks.
