Snarl-ups at Mawa, Paturia

Several thousand vehicles have been stranded at Mawa and Paturia, two gateways to Dhaka in the country’s southern part, as strong currents disrupted ferry operation in Padma River at the two places. The authorities have stopped the operation of several ferries on the Mawa-Kewrakandi and Paturia-Daulatdia waterways on Friday night due to adverse weather conditions, leaving the vehicles stranded on two ends of the river. The snarl-up is causing immense suffering to passengers. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) has asked bus and truck drivers not to use Paturia-Daulatdia river route from Saturday evening to Sunday morning to avoid further congestion. A BIWTC press release has said that normal ferrying of vehicles would resume on Sunday morning. Over 500 vehicles were stranded at each ends of the Paturia-Daulatdia route early Saturday due to a disruption in ferry operation, according to bdnews24.com.