Ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route has been severely hampered due to strong current in the Padma since Sunday morning. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Aricha Sector Manager Mohiuddin Russell said it takes more time for the ferries to reach their destinations due to strong current with the rise of water in the Padma. Also read:Ferry services resume on Shimulia-Majhirkandi route after 7 hours As a result, more than 400 vehicles have been stuck in the terminal area, he added. Hundreds of buses, private cars and microbuses and 300 trucks were stranded at Paturia terminal to cross the river. Three to four kilometers long tailback of trucks were created on the highway at Sari Ghat area. Also read: Two ferries collide in Padma; 1 killed Meanwhile, the pontoons of the ferry have been shifted from low to medium level. And if the water level increases by only two centimeters, the pontoons will have to be taken to the upper level, said the BIWTC official. At present, 17 out of 19 ferries are on service on  Paturia-Daulatdia route.

Ferry services on Shimulia-Majhirkandi route resumed Monday morning after seven hours of suspension due to strong current in the Padma River. The ferry service resumed after 5 am with operation of five ferries, said Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) officials. BIWTC announced the suspension of the ferry services around 10:15 pm on Sunday to avert possible accidents. Also read:Two ferries collide in Padma; 1 killed Vehicles and passengers stranded at night are now crossing the river through ferries Kunjalta, Begum Rokeya, Begum Sufia Kamal, Cumilla, Faridpur. Meanwhile, a man was killed and another went missing as two ferries collided head-on in the Padma River near Jajira in Shariatpur district on the Shimulia-Majhirkandi route in the early hours on Sunday. Ten people on both the ferries- Begum Rokeya and Begum Sufia Kamal -sustained injuries. The BIWTC formed a four-member probe committee in this regard. Besides, the junior masters of the two ferries have been suspended.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) has increased the fare for its passenger ships and ferry services by 20 per cent effective from Sunday. This was announced in a BIWTC press release on Thursday. Also read: Return rush at Paturia ferry terminal It said the authority has re-fixed the fare in the wake of price hike of fuel oil. “From 6 am on June 19 the fare will be effective for all kinds of vessels, including  passenger ships,” it said. Also read: Barishal: 3 ferry owners fined for overloading

Hundreds of buses, cars and trucks have remained stranded at Paturia Ghat since Thursday night due to the onrush of homebound people ahead of a two-day vacation from Friday. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) sources said over 700 vehicles including private vehicles, passenger buses, and trucks remained stranded at Paturia Ghat, causing immense suffering to people. Read: Ferry services resume on Paturia-Daulatdia route after 4 hours Abdus Salam, assistant general manager (AGM) of BIWTC Aricha regional office, said Paturia ferry terminal area has witnessed a heavy rush of vehicles heading southwest since Friday morning. Vehicles have to wait for hours for ferries to cross the river. Nineteen small and large ferries were operating to ease the traffic, he added. Vehicles carrying passengers and emergency goods are getting priority to get on board. The regular cargo trucks will have to wait a bit longer, he said. Read: Ferry capsizes at Paturia dock A large number of people are heading home because of two holidays, including the Independence Day on March 26.

The High Court on Tuesday directed all the probe committees formed to investigate the fire incident in Avijan-10 launch fire to submit reports within next 30 days.  It also sought the lists of those died and injured in the incident  and asked the District Commissioners concerned to consider the applications seeking fund for treatment of the injured ones.  The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order after hearing on two writ petitions filed in this regard.  Read: Launch tragedy: Death toll climbs to 44 The court also asked the authorities concerned to submit fitness documents of all the vessels within 90 days.  The court also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why their inactivity to prevent launch accidents should  not be announced illegal.  Secretaries to the Home Ministry, Shipping Ministry, Directorate General of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) and the owner of the launch Hamjalal Sheikh and others involved were made respondents to the rule. On December 27, Supreme Court lawyer Soumitra Sardar filed a writ petition with the High Court which sought a rule asking the government to explain as to why the authorities concerned should not be asked to submit statements about the condition of engines in water vessels and legal license permits. On December 26, another Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Eunus Ali Akond filed a writ petition with the HC seeking its directives on the authorities concerned to ensure immediate payment of Tk. 10 lakh for the families of the dead and Tk 5 lakh for the injured in the launch fire. Read: Writ on launch fire: Govt. must explain why the fire could not be prevented The blaze broke out at 3am on Friday on the Barguna-bound launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes. The death toll from the fire incident climbed to 44 on Tuesday. Besides, over 81 people suffered injuries and many of them are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

Authorities have suspended ferry services on Shimulia-Banglabazar and Shimulia-Majhirkandi routes since early Thursday due to poor visibility owing to dense winter fog. Md Shahadat Hossain, Shimulia port officer of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), said the ferry services were halted from 2.30 am due to poor visibility. "Four ferries have been anchored, while some 250 vehicles also got stuck due to the suspension of services," said the officer. Read: Dense fog disrupts Paturia-Daulatdia ferry services Meanwhile, launch and speedboat operations on the two routes have also been suspended since Thursday morning due to poor visibility.  Around 87 launches and 101 speed boats ply on these two routes. "The services will resume once visibility increases," said the port officer.