Paturia dock packed with holidaymakers, but ‘no suffering’

The rush of passengers heading home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with loved ones has increased at the Paturia ferry dock in Manikganj’s Shibalaya Upazila.

However, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation, or BIWTC, claims the river service on the route is not overwhelmed despite the crowds.

A massive influx of passengers was seen at the dock on Saturday morning, but the rush has eased as the day wore, said Khaled Newaz, deputy general manager of the BIWTC's Aricha office.

Hundreds of working people from the country’s southwestern regions were seen crossing the Padma River by boarding ferries and launches from the Patuaria pier on Saturday.

Members of the Naval Police, BIWTA and Fire Service were on duty to prevent launches from taking on excess passengers.

Newaz said a total of 23 ferries are plying the Paturia-Daulatdia and Aricha-Kazirhat waterways ahead of Eid. Vehicles are boarding the ferries quickly after they arrive at the dock.

Paturia was packed with home-bound passengers in the morning, but there was little suffering. There were quite a lot of passengers and people on motorcycles, he said.

“The ferry services are taking more time than normal on the Paturia and Daulatdia routes due to the strong current in the Padma River after the rise in the water level.”

RUSH OF PASSENGERS

Many of the passengers at the dock travelled however they could from Savar-Ashulia’s Nabinagar and Dhaka’s Gabtoli. There they boarded ferries, launches, and other vessels at their convenience to cross the river.

The cars and other vehicles at the dock outnumbered the long-haul buses making the crossing.

Maruf, identified by a single name, was heading to Chuadanga by riding on a cattle truck from Dhaka’s Badda.

He told bdnews24.com, “Many traders from our area came to Dhaka with their cattle. They are now returning home after selling them. Each truck is carrying 15 to 20 people.”

Kushtia-bound Asad said, “I took a mini truck from Baipail to head home via the terminal. The Eid journey is joyful despite the hardship.”

People and vehicles travel to 21 districts in the country’s southern and south-western regions using the Paturia-Daulatdia route.

The number of passengers and vehicles plying the route has dropped after the inauguration of Padma Bridge. However, the route still gets busy around the Eid holidays.