Passengers suffer as launch, ferry services halted

Passengers suffered immensely on Monday following the suspension of launch service on Shimulia-Kathalbari river route for poor navigability in the Padma.

Their sufferings intensified in the absence of ferry service that was also snapped earlier.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) official Ahammed Ali at Mawa ghat said ferries and launches did not operate on Monday due to poor navigability in the Padma.

For lack of any launch or ferry service, pressure was piling on speedboats for transportation of passengers on either side (Shimulia-Kathalbari) of the river.

"I had to wait nearly two hours to get aboard a speedboat," Asrafuzzaman, a passenger who went to Shariatpur district through Mawa ghat, told the FE in the morning.

A high official of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) told the FE that launches and ferries were not rendering services for poor navigability.

Water level at Hazra channel of Shimulia-Kathalbari route has reduced significantly, resulted in a halt to launch and ferry services, he said.

The official said launches and ferries cannot operate smoothly as they often get halted on shoals (chars) that have developed on the riverbed.

For this reason, launch operators have decided not to run services on the route on Monday morning.

The BIWTA official said they earlier informed the higher authorities of the matter to take measures immediately to ease passenger sufferings.

He, however, said they were carrying out dredging work on the Shimulia-Khatalbari channel. The BIWTC halted ferry services on the route in mid-September considering the turgid waters of the Padma and safety of the under-construction Padma bridge.

After brief suspension, it started ferry service on a limited scale later in September, but that stopped again last Sunday. The Padma had devoured approach road of ro-ro ferry ghat no. three of Shimulia on July 28. It also engulfed ghat no. four, also known as VIP ghat, on August 03.

However, medium types of ferries were operating through ghat no. one and two until Sunday after taking necessary measures.

"We (the BIWTC) hope to resume ferry services on Shimulia-Kathalbari route next week," BIWTC general manager (cargo-ferry) SM Ashikuzzaman said on Monday.

[email protected]