Photo: Collected
Ferry services on Aricha-Kazirhat route resumed on Wednesday morning after six hours of suspension due to dense fog. Moreover, after a five-hour suspension, ferry services also resumed on Paturia-Daulatdia route. Nasir Chowdhury, deputy general manager (DGM) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) in Manikganj, said that the fog intensity increased on the Aricha-Kazirhat route from midnight.
By 3:30am, the fog became severely dense obstructing the navigation channel, including the beacon lights, forcing the suspension of the ferry services to avoid accidents, he said.
At this time, two ferries--Shah Ali and Krishani, were stranded mid-river with passengers and vehicles on board, he informed. The ferry services on the route resumed at 9:30am when the fog began to clear.
Meanwhile, the dense fog also halted ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route at 4:30am. Three ferries--Bonlata, Birshreshtha Jahangir, and Baigar-were stranded in the middle of the river.
In total, eight ferries were stranded at the Paturia and Daulatdia terminals. However, the ferry services resumed also at 9:30am. Over 300 vehicles, including cargo trucks, private cars, and microbuses, were stranded at both terminals due to the suspension.
Priority was given to passenger vehicles for crossing after the fog cleared, according to officials.
Messenger/JRTarek
