Padma River
Mad rush of homebound people at Shimulia ferry ghat
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.
Padma boat tragedy: Death toll rises to 4
The death toll from Wednesday's boat accident in the Padma river off the coast of Shibganj upazila has risen to four with the recovery of two more bodies, officials said Thursday.
Eight people are still missing, officials said.
Read:999 call: 7 tourists stuck on boat in Kaptai Lake rescued after hours
The tragedy occurred Wednesday afternoon when the boat carrying over 30 people sank in the Padma river off the coast of Laxmipur in Shibganj. Two people drowned while 20 others went missing.
The deceased were identified as Nilufar Begum, 62, wife of Khairul Islam of Bish Rossia village in Panka union of Shibganj upazila, and her granddaughter Maisha, 5, daughter of Babu Ali.
Shibganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shakib Al Rabbi said the boat carrying over 30 people capsized in the river around 2.15 pm owing to strong winds.
Read: 2 dead, 7 missing in Sirajganj boat accident
The boat was heading towards Bishrashia from Boglauri of Shibganj upazila. The two bodies were recovered by local residents.
Later in the evening, divers recovered two more bodies, identified as Asmaul 5, son of Fitu Ali, and his sister Ayesha, 3, of Sadar upazila -- from the river.
Tagore’s historic Kuthibari is threatened by river erosion, locals scream for help
Erosion in River Padma during the peak monsoon has threatened the Kuthibari, the historic country house of Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, at Shelaidah in Kushtia district.
The erosion along the river’s bank near Kuthibari and its adjacent area has taken a serious turn and the residents of the area are passing days in fear of losing their land and homes to the mighty Padma.
Read:Riverbank erosion leaves Gashial residents on the edge
Earlier, the government had taken steps to protect the Kuthibari from river erosion in 2018 by building an embankment but it did little to help the villagers.
According to the Kushtia Water Development Board, the authorities concerned have built a 3,720 meter flood protection dam, involving Tk 167 crore in the fiscal year 2016-2018. Of the total dam, 2,720 meter built in Sultanpur part of Koya union while the remaining 1000 meter in Shelaidah portion.
The authorities named the project as ‘Kuthibari protection dam’.
Read Padma erosion threatens Daulatdia Ferry Terminal
Local people alleged that the authorities concerned have built the dam excluding the 1.5 kilometre area of Kuthibari under the project. The project stretching from Shelaidah Kuthibari and adjacent areas remains in the paper but actually no dam has been built on the main portion of the Kuthibari.
20 hurt as ferry hits Padma bridge pillar
At least 20 people have been injured in a ferry accident in the Padma river in Munshiganj, officials said on Friday.
The accident occurred when a Ro-Ro ferry, named Shahjalal, crashed into a pillar of the Padma bridge near the Mawa area of Munshiganj around 9am.
Read:Ferry-launch suspended from Friday morning
Though the front part of the vessel has been mangled, there was no structural damage to the bridge, the officials said, adding that all the injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals.
Assistant general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport and Communication, Shafiqul Islam said that the passengers fell over each other as the ferry hit the pillar.
"Some 33 vehicles that the ferry was carrying also sustained minor damages in the impact of the crash, which completely destroyed the pantry area of the vessel," he said.
Read:Eid-ul-Azha: People crowding Shimulia ferry terminal to go home
Master of the ferry, Abdur Rahman said the steering wheel got dislocated as the vessel's electrical circuit broke down suddenly and strong river current triggered the crash.
The bridge authority has expressed concern as three ferries have collided with the pillars this month only.
Padma river embankment risks catastrophic collapse
Residents of Charbhadrason upazila in Faridpur are living in fear of flooding as a large portion of an embankment along the Padma River in Haziganj Bazar has developed cracks.
Locals say vast tracts of land in the upazila could be inundated during the monsoon if immediate steps are not taken to protect the embankment from erosion.
Read:Over 50 Kurigram riverine villages inundated
They claim their repeated pleas to the authorities concerned for the restoration of the embankment along the Padma have so far fallen on deaf ears.
The three-kilometre-long embankment was constructed along the Padma in MPdangi, Charhaziganj Bazar and Charhossainpur areas in 2019-20 financial year. Three private firms were roped in to construct the embankment at a cost of Tk 144 crore.
Read:Riverbank erosion leaves Gashial residents on the edge
5 die in stampede, heatstroke at Banglabazar ferry terminal
Amid mad rush of homebound people ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, five people died in stampede and heatstroke at Banglabazar ferry terminal on Wednesday.
Banglabazar Traffic Police Inspector Ashikur Rahman said a teenage boy was killed in a stampede while getting off Shah Paran ferry.
The deceased was identified as Anchur,15, son of Giasuddin Madbor of Noria upazila of Shariatpur.
Also read: Covid-19 claims 40 more lives, infects 1,144 others
Four others died due to heatstroke and stampede while boarding off Enayetpuri ferry at the same terminal, he said.
Sources said that lakhs of people have crossed the Padma River on ferries since morning. All the 17 ferries are operating to cater to the mad rush of homebound people.
Some 800 vehicles and 10,000 people have crossed the river till Wednesday noon, officials said.
Also read: BGB deployed on Paturia-Daulatdia, Shimulia-Banglabazar routes
Authorities, meanwhile, claimed that people will not face any difficulties in crossing rivers as ferry services are available.
The UNB correspondent found hundreds of people reaching the Daulatdia-Paturia ghat in the afternoon on foot, in rickshaws and other vehicles, defying all the lockdown norms.
Police have installed a number of check-posts on the highway, including Barbaria, Singair and Dhalla areas. Though the cops forced many vehicles coming from other districts to return, passengers were quick to get off the vehicles and head towards the ferry ghat on foot.
Also read: Mad rush of homebound people at Paturia terminal
Ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia and Shimulia-Banglabazar routes were suspended to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) said the decision to suspend ferry services on the two busy water routes, with effect from Saturday morning, was taken in the wake of the ongoing second wave of coronavirus.
But the mad rush of homebound people forced them to resume the ferry services.
Speedboat accident in Padma: Owners among 4 sued
A case has been filed against four people including owners of the speedboat, in connection with the speedboat capsize in the Padma River that claimed 26 lives in Madaripur's Shibchar upazila on Monday.
Sub-inspector of Char Janajat River Police Lokman Hossain filed the case at 12:30 am, said Miraz Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shibchar Police Station, Tuesday.
Apart from speedboat owners Chandu Mia and Jahirul Islam, its driver Shah Alam and leaseholder of the Shimulia ghat Shah Alam have been made accused in the case.
OC Miraz Hossain said none of the four accused has been arrested yet.
Also read: Speedboat sinks in Padma, 26 dead
“The speedboat driver is now taking treatment under police custody as he was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital from Faridpur Medical College in critical condition,” said the OC.
Inspector of Char Janajat river police check post, Abdul Rajjak said efforts are continuing to arrest all the accused.
Earlier, on Monday, at least 26 people died when the Banglabazar-bound speedboat from Shimulia ferry ghat capsized in the river after a collision with a sand-laden bulk carrier near Kathalbari ferry ghat in Shibchar.
Twenty-six bodies were retrieved from the river with the help of divers from local Fire Service and Civil Defence, police and Coast Guard members.
Also read: Speedboat sinks in Padma: Probe body formed
A six-member committee was formed on Monday to investigate the speedboat accident.
The local administration formed the probe body after the accident, Mohammad Raihan, Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters Station Officer (Media cell), told UNB on Monday.
‘Padma Cruise’ launched to boost river tourism
‘Padma Cruise’ was launched on Thursday at Shimulia ferry terminal in Lauhajang to boost river tourism on Padma River.
Ferry services on Paturia-Doulatdia route resume after 10 hrs
Ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia route resumed after ten hours of suspension due to poor visibility caused by dense fog.
Padma erosion threatens Daulatdia Ferry Terminal
Rapid decline in the water level, strong current and torrential rainfall in the last few days have put the Daulatdia Ferry Terminal area at high risk of erosion which could potentially force partial shutdown of the key terminal.