Passengers suffer due to post-Eid rush at ferry terminals

People returning to Dhaka from south-western districts after celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr had to wait an extended period of time in ferry crossing while passengers from other districts somewhat travelled hassle-free on Saturday.
The pressure of passengers at highways, launch ghats or terminals, ferry ghats and rail stations have increased significantly as Saturday was the last public holiday for office goers.
People were seen entering the capital by buses, private cars, microbuses, launches and trains through different entry points, including Sayedabad, Mohakhali and Gabtoli bus terminals, Kamalapur Railway Station and the Sadarghat launch terminal.
A significant number of Eid holidaymakers, mostly job holders, were seen arriving in the capital on the day for the sake of their means of livelihood. Many of them said that they did not face any hassle on their journey back to the city.
Public offices and some private ones resumed functioning on Thursday after the Eid holidays. But the private offices that were still closed until Saturday (yesterday) will reopen today (Sunday).
Visiting the Dhaka River Port Terminal at Sadarghat in the capital on Saturday, a FE correspondent found that a substantial number of passengers had arrived through the launch terminal.
An official of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) told the FE that thousands of passengers had arrived at
the Sadarghat launch terminal from southern districts of Barisal, Bhola, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Barguna and others after the Eid vacation.
Until evening on Saturday, around 100 launches of different routes arrived at the launch terminal with passengers, he said.
"I have no way but to return to the capital to join my work after Eid," Md Abdul Aziz Biswas, a private service holder returning from Barisal, told the FE at the launch terminal.
Another passenger named Yasir Patwary, who was returning from Chandpur, told the FE that he had returned to the capital as he would join his work today.
According to the BIWTA official, over 50 launches had left the Dhaka terminal for different destinations on the day (until Saturday evening) despite carrying an insignificant number of passengers.
These vessels will return to Dhaka with passengers who are eagerly waiting to come back to the capital from different southern districts, added the official.
While visiting the Kamalapur Railway Station on the day, it was found that thousands of passengers were arriving at the station from different places by intercity trains.
They said the return journey was good compared to the homebound journey.
"I went home a day before Eid despite various difficulties. As I work in a private company, I have to join my work tomorrow (Sunday)," said Masum Sarkar, who had returned from Jamalpur by 'Jamuna Express'.
He said they had faced no sufferings on the way back and got train tickets easily.
An official of the Kamalapur Railway Station told the FE that apart from some exceptions, most of the trains were arriving on time.
Meanwhile, returnees from 21 south-western districts to Dhaka, using Paturia-Daulatdia and Kathalbari-Mawa ferry terminals, had to face an extended period of time to cross the Padma River due to a huge pressure from passengers.
The Dhaka-bound passengers, boarding on direct buses, had to wait the most to get the serial for ferry crossing, while many had to take risks to cross the river via overcrowded launches and speedboats to avoid the long queue to get into the ferries.
Md Hashem, a private job holder, was coming from Khulna on a bus with his three family members through Paturia-Daulatdia ferry route.
"It took almost three hours to reach near the ferry ghat (Paturia-Daulatdia) from Sonadanga of Khulna, but our bus had to wait almost eight hours to get the serial for ferry crossing," he said.
"I heard that people who came even before us at the ferry ghat had to wait more than 12 hours to cross the river," he said, claiming, "It is easier for the VIPs and people with private cars to get into the ferry because of special relations with the ferry operators."
Another passenger, Taufique Mobin, a university student coming to Dhaka from Barishal via Kathalbari-Mawa launch ghat, said due to a long waiting time in direct bus journey via ferry, many people preferred to cross the river via launches or speedboats.
"It was quite risky to cross the river via an overcrowded launch," he said.
According to the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), there are 21 ferries operational on the Paturia-Daulatdia ghat and 10 ferries on Shimulia-Banglabazar-Majhikandi ghat.
Besides, there are about 230 speedboats and 115 launches operating on different routes to carry passengers.
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