Paturia-Daulatdia limping

Ferry operations started slowly at Paturia on Saturday morning after being disrupted for several hours.

Several thousand vehicles have been stranded at Mawa and Paturia, the two water-gateways to Dhaka from the south.

Strong currents disrupted ferry operations on the Padma river at the two places.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Daulatdia ferry-landing station's manager Shafiqul Islam told bdnews24.com 200 trucks were waiting on Saturday morning when ferry operations started.

Meanwhile, ferry services have also started at the Mawa-Kawrakandi route of the river.

Kawrakandi ferry-landing station's assistant manager Abdul Baten said all the ferries are plying, but at a slow pace with hundreds of vehicle piling up to board.

Earlier, on Friday, ferry services of the two points that connect the Southern region with Dhaka were disrupted due to adverse weather and strong currents in the river.

Authorities had to suspend the operation of several ferries on the Mawa-Kewrakandi and Paturia-Daulatdia routes on Friday night, leaving the vehicles stranded at either end of the routes.

The BIWTC have asked buses and trucks not to use the Paturia-Daulatdia route from Saturday evening to Sunday morning.