Bogura-Jamalpur ferry service begins today
A new ferry service was launched today connecting Bogura and Jamalpur in order to improve communication, trade and commerce between the two northern districts.
The ferry service will be between Kalitala ghat in Sariakandi upazila and Jamthal ghat in the same upazila on the other side.
Around 12:00pm today, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, state minister for shipping, along with lawmaker of Jamalpur-3 Mirza Azam and lawmaker of Bogura-1, Shahdara Mannan, inaugurated the ferry service at Jamthal ghat, reports our correspondent.
They later took the ferry to the Kalitala ghat and attended the inauguration ceremony.
MP Shahdara Mannan told The Daily Star, "It was a dream of my husband. People from Bogura can now travel to Dhaka with their agricultural products via the Jamalpur district, cutting the total distance by 80 kilometres."
It will boost trade, commerce, and cooperation among some northern districts such as Bogura, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Mymensingh, and Netrokona, said Shahdara Mannan.
Jahidur Rahman, who leased the Kalitala ghat from Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), said, "Primarily, one ferry will run twice a day."
Small vehicles, microbuses, pick-up vans, and goods carriers, in addition to hundreds of passengers, can avail the service."
The ghat authority set a fee of Tk 100 per passenger.
In this regard, MP Sahadara Mannan said, "Jamthal is only 10-12 km away from the Kalitala ghat, therefore, Tk 100 per passenger is very high."
The ghat authority should reduce the fare to Tk 40, she suggested, adding that if they do not reduce the fare, people will not be benefited.
However, more than 100 boatmen will be affected after the ferry service is launched because they used to carry passengers and goods from both sides, according to Babu Pramanik, a local boatman of the Kalitala ghat.
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