Staff Reporter :
Thousands of people swarmed the Shimulia- Banglabazar ferry terminal on Saturday in a desperate bid to reach their village homes ahead of nationwide pandemic lockdown.
People were seen flocking the ferry terminal since morning and crossing Padma River, ignoring health safety norms.
Even though government-imposed restrictions have been in place, the ferry terminal of Munshiganj’s Shimulia was overcrowded with south-bound travellers.
The government on Saturday night announcement the entire country will go under a seven-day ‘strict lockdown’ to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The announcement has triggered a mass exodus of people from capital and subsequently, it led to a huge rush of homebound passengers at Shimulia ferry terminal.
“I have no way to earn money to feed my family during lockdown. So, I am heading back to my village in order to survive,” said Azizur Rahman, who runs a tea stall at the capital’s Mugda area.
Aziz had to walk kilometers to reach the Shimulia terminal, as direct bus service from the capital remained suspended. He later took board on a crammed ferry in which passengers merely followed health safety guidelines.
Many did not even wear the mask.
It was also seen that the ferry carries more passengers than freight trucks and emergency vehicles.
Faisal Ahmed, Manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at Shimulia Ferry Terminal, said, “At present, there are 16 ferries operating on the route due to huge pressure of homebound people. A long queue of vehicles was also seen near the ghat for crossing the river.”
Meanwhile, Munshiganj’s Superintendent of Police Abdul Momen said the law-enforcement agency has set up 20 check-posts in the district to enforce the lockdown restrictions.
Civil Surgeon Abul Kalam Azad said the district has recorded 5,909 cases of the coronavirus infection so far. The death toll from Covid-19 stands at 71.
Zakir Hossain, in-Charge of Mawa Traffic Police, said that we are requesting the passengers to follow the lockdown instructions.
But passengers are coming to the ghat from Dhaka in different ways. The passengers are also coming from Banglabazar Ghat and try to go to Dhaka, Zakir added.
Besides, hundreds of people also flocked to Dhaka’s Gabtoli and Mohakhali bus terminals to take a transport on their way to village homes.
As long route bus services from the capital remained suspended since Wednesday, people were suffering to reach their destinations.
They had to take board on trucks, microbuses, cars, auto-rickshaws and motorbikes to reach their destinations.
As the mass exodus gains momentum, many are also making their way back to the capital.
The government is going to enforce a new nationwide ‘strict lockdown’ on Monday, as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.
The restrictions will remain in place for seven days, said Press Information Department principal information officer Surath Kumar Sarker on Friday.
Government and private offices, barring those of emergency services, will remain shut during this period.
The National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday recommended imposing a ‘nationwide shutdown’ for two weeks considering the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country.
