Several thousand homebound people thronged Shimulia ferry terminal on Wednesday morning to cross the Padma River  five days ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The authorities concerned of the ferry terminal are struggling a lot to manage the huge rush of home bound people as only seven ferries are operating now instead of 18-21.

Also read:Paturia ghat sees huge crowd; Passengers suffer as 2 ferries remain inoperative

People were seen waiting at the ferry terminal for several hours amid the scorching heat.

Talking to UNB, some passengers said this year the number of ferries is less than the previous year and they are going to their homes today to avoid mad rush.

Md Soleman, inspector of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) at Shimulia ghat, said currently 153 speedboats and 83 launches are operating on the route as the number of ferries is insufficient. 

HM Yeadul Islam, terminal super of BIWTC, said Bangladesh Inland and Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) has taken adequate measures to ensure safe journey of the homebound people.

“We are trying our best to tackle huge pressure of vehicles,” he said.

Also read: Eid holidaymakers likely to face tough journey on Dhaka-Paturia highway

The movement of ferry on Shimulia-Banglabazar route remained suspended since August 18, 2021 due to strong current in the Padma River. Later the authorities concerned resumed its operation on November 8 during day time.

On December 13, the operation of ferries resumed on a limited scale after avoiding Padma Bridge.

Full-fledged operation of ferries resumed on Wednesday with a few numbers of ferries on the route.