Passengers and transport workers on south-western routes continued to suffer for the second consecutive day on Monday while crossing the river Padma by major water channels due to strong current, navigability crisis, limited and suspended ferry services.

Long queues of vehicles, especially goods-laden, were seen stuck in traffic congestion on highways and roads adjacent to the ferry terminals, including at Shimulia, Kathalbari, Paturia and Daulatdia.

Vehicles, including buses which reached the ferry terminals at night, were only able to cross the river in the morning for suspended ferry services on Shimula-Kathalbari route and ferry crisis on Paturia-Daulatdia route.

Passengers, especially women, children and elderly people, faced immense sufferings as they had to spend the night on the buses at these ferry terminals due to lack of toilet facilities.

Some of the ferries went out of order on Paturia-Daulatdia route which created almost a standstill situation.

Earlier on Saturday during a visit to the Shimulia-Kathalbari water channel, the state minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said that the ferry services on the channel would be closed between 6:00pm and 6:00am due to strong current and to ensure safety of the under-construction Padma Multipurpose Bridge.

The decision was taken since water channel became narrow due to navigability crisis and also because of the presence of the under-construction infrastructure of the bridge adjacent to the channel, said the ministry officials.

The notice would be implemented till further notice, they added.

New Age correspondent in Munshiganj reported that on Monday only five small ferries plied on Shimulia-Kathalbari water channel due to navigability crisis.

As a result around 11:00am about 400 vehicles, including cars, pick up vans and trucks, were seen stranded on road adjacent to the Shimulia ferry terminal area under Louhajang upazila.

Drivers of the goods-laden vehicles were being requested to use other routes to cross the river.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation Shimulia ghat (manager) Shafayet Ahmed said that new vehicles were joining the queues for crossing the river.

New Age correspondent in Manikganj reported that sufferings of passengers and transport workers peaked on the day on both sides of  the Paturia-Daulatdia water channel due to suspended ferry services at Mawa, strong current in the river and lack of ferries.

Following suspended ferry services on Mawa route, more vehicles from that route are using the Paturia-Daulatdia route which put an extra pressure on the passengers and transport workers on southern-western routes.

On Monday, it was witnessed that the long-route buses were crossing the river, though they had reached Paturia terminal on Sunday night.

Around 400 goods-laden trucks were parked from Uthuli intersection to Aricha and Bathuli points on Dhaka-Aricha highway after police asked them to do so for avoiding traffic congestion at Paturia ferry terminal area.

BIWTC Paturia ghat assistant general manager (commercial) Tanveer Ahmed said that a number of vehicles increased on this route as the ferries were taking almost double the usual time to cross the river due to strong current and suspended ferry services at Mawa terminal.

He said that they were allowing the passenger vehicles to cross the route on a priority basis.

BIWTC Aricha office sources said that the ferries on the route went out of order often due to pressure of service while everyday around one or two ferries on an average were under maintenance.  

That was another reason behind traffic gridlock at the terminal areas on the route, the sources added.

Tanveer Ahmed said that the problems would be solved when ferry services at Mawa would become normal and the ferries would be repaired.