Over 3 lakh people crossed Padma in 45 hours

About 3.05 lakh people crossed the Padma River in 45 hours till last night ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr to be celebrate tomorrow, according to BIWTA.

The Eid holidaymakers had crossed the river from Shimulia ghat of Munshiganj by 155 speedboats and 86 launches, reports our Munshiganj correspondent.

Launches run from Shimulia of Munshiganj, Banglabazar of Madaripur and Majhikandi of Shariatpur from sunrise to 10pm daily. And the speedboats run till sunset.

According to BIWTA's Shimulia ghat sources, 110,000 people crossed the Padma by speedboats and launches in 16 hours yesterday.

Md Shahadat Hossain, an assistant director of Shimulia River Port, said the launch ran 372 trips from 5:50am to 10pm yesterday. Around 110,000 people crossed the Padma during this time.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation's Shimulia Ghat Manager (Trade) Md Jamal Hossain said there was extra pressure of private cars and motorcycles at Shimulia ghat in the last couple of days.

However, as the day proceeded, the traffic pressure decreased. Using this ghat, about 4,000 motorcycles crossed Padma yesterday. Another 1,500 private cars and microbuses passed by ferry.