Ferry service in Daulatdia suspended

Hundreds of vehicles to be ferried got stuck on Dhaka-Paturia road as services of 10 Ro-Ro ferries were suspended in the Padma river yesterday.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) authorities suspended the ferry service around 9:00am after a ferry, Keramat Ali, ran aground in Daulatdia channel in the afternoon, said BIWTC officials.
A seven-kilometre tailback was created initially on the road. However, 500 trucks, 200 buses and 150 small vehicles were still stuck on the road till filing of this report at 9:00pm.
The ferry with four buses and 19 small vehicles could not be moved yet. BIWTC has started dredging channels to avoid such incidents and expects to resume the service within 72 hours.Three K-type ferries, which can accommodate four buses each, will continue plying on the routes. Three Ro-Ro ferries carrying half its capacity have been plying from 6:00pm.