Dense Fog: Passengers suffer as ferry service disrupted

Thousands of passengers including women and children were stranded for hours at Paturia ghat of Manikganj and Daulatdia ghat in Rajbari across the Padma river yesterday following disruption of ferry services on the river.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation office sources said Paturia Daulatdia ferry service was disrupted for 3 hours and 15 minutes from 4:30am due to dense fog, causing buses to wait on both sides of the ghats.

Manager of the corporation's Daulatdia office Shafiqul Islam said that the fog increased after midnight and around 4:30am services had to be stopped altogether. The authority stopped services from 4:30am to 7:45am to avoid accidents.   

Five ferries were stranded in the middle of the river with passengers and vehicles aboard while nine ferries were stranded at Paturia and Daulatdia ferry ghat.

Najnin Ahmed of Magura said she started from Gabtoli in Dhaka around 10:00pm Tuesday with her two children for Magura. She reached Paturia Ghat around midnight and was finally able to cross the river at around 11:00am, after 11 hours, she said.

Passengers were stranded in the area without access to proper food, water or toilets.

Rashed Ahmad, a staff reporter of The New Age, and Abdullah Al Naim of The Daily Star told this correspondent that the sufferings of stranded passengers increased due to negligence of duties of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation and policemen as many vehicles were seen disrupting movement on the roads by driving on the wrong side.

The same condition was seen at Daulatdia side in Rajbari district. Passengers and staff of vehicles alleged that a section of officials of the corporation and police were selling 'priority' tickets at high prices causing untold sufferings to passengers who could not pay the higher prices.

However, Shafiqul Islam, manager of the corporation's Daulatdia office, denied the allegations. He said a shortage of ferry and pontoons were causing delays at the ghat.

More than 600 vehicles were seen lined up in Daulatdia of Rajbari district while over 500 were seen still lined up at Paturia area of Manikganj district around noon.