United News of Bangladesh

The number of homebound passengers has increased  at the Paturia ferry terminal in Manikganj as people from 21 districts in the southwestern region are heading home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha. Witnesses said pressure of passengers using ferries and launches has increased sharply since Thursday morning.  A total of 17 ferries and 20 launches are currently operating on the Paturia-Daulatdia waterway to ensure a safe and uninterrupted Eid journey. Passengers said they did not have to wait long to board ferries or launches as vessels were arriving and departing regularly.  Eid home rush: 12-km tailback on Dhaka-M’sing highway Many expressed satisfaction over the overall travel experience. To maintain security and prevent any untoward incidents members of the police, river police, and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed in sufficient numbers around the terminal area. Superintendent of Police Yasmin Akhter visited the terminal and expressed satisfaction over the overall situation, saying security measures have been strengthened to ensure a smooth Eid journey.  

With Eid approaching, the pressure of passengers and vehicles has increased slightly at Manikganj’s Paturia ferry terminal, which connects 21 districts in the southwestern region. The number of passengers using "Kata Line" launch service has also risen significantly. However, as the congestion remains manageable, Eid holidaymakers are crossing the river with relative ease. Additional police personnel have been deployed to maintain discipline. Separate lanes for small and large vehicles have been arranged to ensure smooth ferry boarding. Vising the terminal on Thursday morning the correspondent found  vehicles were boarding ferries without difficulty. However, passengers using the launch service faced some inconvenience as "Kata Line" buses dropped them nearly a kilometer away from the ferry terminal, forcing them to walk the remaining distance. Drivers expressed relief over the hassle-free ferry boarding but they complained about delays in crossing the river. Due to navigability issues, ferries cannot use the main channel directly, they said. Despite the situation being under control on Thursday ferry operators anticipate heavier traffic on Friday which could lead to congestion at the terminal. Preparations underway at Paturia, Aricha ferry terminals as Eid nears Acknowledging the detour issue, Abdus Salam, AGM of BIWTC’s Aricha region, said ferry operations would not be significantly disrupted during Eid travel.  “To ensure a smooth and safe journey for passengers and vehicles, we have increased the number of ferries on the Paturia-Daulatdia route to 17.  Besides, a one-way traffic system has been implemented for about a kilometer at the terminal, with separate lanes for small and large vehicles,” he added. For security alongside regular police personnel, additional forces, including traffic police, Ansar members, and RAB, were deployed. Superintendent of Police Mushammat Yasmin Khatun said law enforcers are keeping a close watch to prevent criminal activities such as pickpocketing, muggings, and doping.  

Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Bangladesh's state minister for shipping, on Wednesday (January 17, 2024) said the ferry, Rajanigandha, capsized in the Padma River near Paturia ferry terminal in Manikganj after being hit by a bulkhead.“Primarily, it is known that the ferry was anchored near the ghat and a bulkhead hit the ferry,” he said while talking to reporters at the secretariat. The actual reason could be known after getting probe report, he said. Ferry driver missing after it capsizes with vehicles in Padma River“Rajanigandha ferry is a utility ferry and there were a small number of vehicles on it. When vehicles started to board it ,the authorities usually maintain balance and whether the authorities followed it properly at that time it will be known later,” said the minister.The ferry authorities said they anchored the ferry due to dense fog and when they started their journey around 1:30 am from Daulatpur ghat the sky was clear but when they reached near Paturia they experienced poor visibility due to dense fog, he said.A secretary-level officer is on the spot and he will take necessary steps, said Khalid.Mentioning that Bulkhead is needed for transporting goods, the minister said, “The ministry is looking how to modernize those and register those and the Department of Shipping (DoS) is working on it.” Daulatdia-Paturia ferry services resume after 7 hoursA man identified as Humayun Kabir, 39, second master of the ferry, went missing as the ferry on the Daulatdia-Paturia route with nine trucks capsized near No 5 ghat in Paturia of Manikganj district earlier today.

Eid holidaymakers were crossing Manikganj's Paturia ferry terminal without hassle on Tuesday morning as the pressure of vehicles and passengers was relatively low at the terminal. The terminal has seen a decrease in vehicles and passengers since the opening of the Padma Bridge However, the number of ferries has been increased to 18 for seamless crossing of passengers and vehicles during Eid, said Shah Md Khaled Newaz, deputy general manager (commerce) of Aricha regional office Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC). Besides, the authorities are bringing back vacant ferries from the other side to facilitate crossing of the passengers from Dhaka side, he added. Police firmly committed to enabling smooth Eid journeys for all: IGP “Five ghats of Paturia have been renovated and kept fully functional. A special ferry has been arranged to carry the sacrificial animal-laden trucks, said the BIWTC official. Although there was an announcement to stop the movement of trucks carrying goods from today till three days after Eid, the authorities have kept the movement of trucks normal as there is no traffic jam. No sufferings on Eid journey this year:  Quader   Superintendent of Police Golam Azad Khan said that all measures have been taken to facilitate smooth movement of sacrificial animals-carrying trucks. Police have been deployed at various ppoints on the road to prevent any kind of extortion, he added. Eid journey: Huge tailback  in Savar; commuters suffer in extreme heat

Thousands of home-bound commuters have thronged the Paturia ferry terminal since the early hours of Sunday in their desperate bid to cross the Padma river ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr. Hundreds of vehicles, mostly buses, microbuses and private cars, with people on board also remain stranded at the ferry ghat, triggering a 3km tailback in the area. An official said these people and vehicles have been waiting to board ferries on the Paturia-Daulatdia route, with Eid holidays beginning on Sunday. "At least 200 buses are stranded at the terminal," he said. While the highway police are controlling vehicular movement in the gridlocked ferry terminal area, the river police are ensuring that the ferries are not taking in passengers beyond their capacities. READ: Chaos at Paturia ghat as 300 cars wait to cross Padma  

Many people are still making frantic efforts to leave Dhaka to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with their families in villages defying a ban on inter-district public transport due to the worsening Covid-19 situation. Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of the Muslims, is scheduled to be celebrated across the country later this week. Thousands of people started to leave the city from early in the morning on Sunday. Witnesses said a large number of people were seen crossing Tongi Bridge from Abdullahpur of Uttara, Amin Bazar Bridge from Gabtoli, Postagola Burigonga bridge of Shympur and Babu Bazar Burigonga Bridge on foot. The government has imposed lockdown restrictions since April due to an increase in the coronavirus infection. Even though long-distance buses are shut, people are travelling to villages in any way they can. Also read: BGB deployed on Paturia-Daulatdia, Shimulia-Banglabazar routes The number of ferries has been reduced at Mawa and Paturia terminals and BGB members have been deployed there to prevent people from crossing the Padma. Despite the government's effort, people are continuing to rush to northern and southern districts from Dhaka on small vehicles ignoring health risks. Ferry services were closed during the day.

Paturia ferry terminal saw a mad rush of homebound people ahead of Eid despite a so-called decision of  Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) to suspend  day time ferry services. The corporation took the decision late Friday night to suspend daytime ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia and Shimulia-Banglabazar routes from Saturday morning as per government instructions to curb the spread of coronavirus infection ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr. However, three ferries were selected to transport ambulances and hearse vehicles. Also read: Ferry services suspended to contain spread of Covid While visiting Paturia ferry terminal early Saturday morning, the UNB correspondent saw flocks of people stranded there, completely unaware of the hastily made late night decision of BIWTC. Although some of them were forced to return, hundreds of passengers continued to hold their ground in an attempt to celebrate Eid with the loved ones at any cost. When an ambulance carrying a dead body was getting into Madhobilota, a ferry kept for emergency situations, hundreds of these people forced themselves onto it. Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh sees 45 more deaths with 1285 new cases The same incident happened with two other ferries anchored at separate terminals of Paturia. After a few hours, two of those ferries, carrying hundreds of people left the terminals and this was more or less the entire story of the day, which means the late night suspension of BIWTC has proved insufficient. Also read: Bangladesh detects first case of Indian Coronavirus strain However, Jillur Rahman, deputy general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Aricha office said, “At all times the plying of water vessels has been suspended following BIWTC’s decision. Only three ferries  are operational for emergency use. But we are facing difficulties in operating them because of excessive pressure by people wanting to get in.”

Hundreds of commuters gathered at Paturia ferry terminal on Thursday in a mad rush to go home ahead of Eid-ul Fitr defying the government’s restrictions over the coronavirus outbreak.