Fog disrupts ferry services on two Padma routes

Ferry service on Paturia-Daulatdia and Shimulia-Kawrakandi routes remained suspended for hours due to dense fog yesterday.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) stopped ferry service from 4:50am to avoid any accident, said Salauddin, manager (commerce) of BIWTC Paturia office.

Four ferries with passengers and vehicles were halted in mid-river, while six ferries at Paturia ferry terminal and six ferries at Daulatdia ferry terminal remained anchored at the terminals for five hours.

Five hundreds vehicle were lined up at Paturia and Daulatdia ferry terminals due to the disruption of ferry service.

The passengers, especially children, women and older people, suffered due to the cold, toilet problem and shortage of food.

Ferry service resumed at 9:50am after the fog cleared, said Salauddin.

There was a 3-km-long queue at Paturia ferry terminal at around 2:00pm, while 200 vehicles were lined up at Daulatdia ferry terminal.

Our Munshiganj correspondent reports that ferry service on Shimulia-Kawrakandi route resumed yesterday at around 10:00am after seven hours of suspension due to poor visibility caused by dense fog.

After the service was suspended, five ferries, including Ro Ro Bir Shrestho Ruhul Amin, were anchored in mid-river.

Around 450 vehicles with a large number of passengers got stranded on both sides of the river.

 However, ferry services resumed as the fog disappeared with the sunlight getting brighter, said Giyasuddin Patowari, manager of BIWTC.

The gridlock and long queues are decreasing after resumption of the ferry service, he added.