UNB, Manikganj :
Two separate bouts of dense fog obstructed ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route for about 9 hours from Sunday night through early Monday. Three ferries loaded with passengers and vehicles compelled to stay put in the middle of the river as dense fog blanketed the river route, causing immense suffering to the passengers.
Ferry movement only resumed at 10am as the fog slowly started to clear, said BIWTC Aricha Sector.
Sixteen ferry services help vehicles cross the Paturia- Daulatdia river route. But the authority was forced to halt the service because of poor visibility caused by overnight build-up of fog to avoid redundant accidents.
Two ferries named Khan Jahan Ali and Madhoblota anchored mid-river due to poor visibility and other 14 ferries were suspended on both sides of the river.
At 6 in the morning, as the fog started tendering, ferries started to move again. But around 9 am fog started getting thick again and so once again ferry service compelled to a standstill. Finally, the service went normal around 10 am.
Meanwhile, the suspension of the ferry service caused several hundreds of buses and cargos from different districts to suffer as they were stuck for several hours.
The unwanted halt caused heavy traffic on both sides of the river including Paturia- Uthol Link Road, Paturia terminal, and Dhaka- Aricha Highway waiting to cross, said Traffic police and port authority.
Tanvir Hossain, Assistant General Manager (Commerce) of BIWTC’s Aricha office, said ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route had to be halted due to dense fog causing hefty pressure on the vehicles at the dock. “Considering the plight of the passengers, we are letting the buses cross earlier. Ordinary freight trucks will cross later,” he said.
