Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) will construct another ferry terminal at Mongol Majhi ghat of the Zajira-Shimulia route in a bid to ease traffic movement ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Commodore Golam Sadeq, chairman of BIWTA, said this new ferry ghat will be opened to the public on April 28 considering the rush of home goers during Eid festival.
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The BIWTA chief told reporters this week the Mongol Majhi ghat will be shifted to another place to construct a new ghat and ease the pressure of vehicular movement.
Earlier, he exchanged views with the local public representatives, upazila administration, law enforcement agencies and civil societies to examine the feasibility to construct the ghat.
Besides introducing a new ghat, BIWTA has decided to run ferries on the Banglabazar-Shimulia route at night. At present, three ferries ply on the route from 7am-5pm to avert a collision with the Padma Bridge.
According to BIWTA and BIWTC, ferry services started at Sattar Madbor and Mongol Majhi ghat of Zajira in December last year as alternative ghat as ferries had hit pillars 16 and 17 of Padma Bridge on July 20 and 23 and pillar 10 on August 9, 2021.
On August 25, BIWTA and BIWTC had jointly constructed a new ferry ghat Mongol Majhi ghat to ensure emergency services. However, the ghat was unused due to a lack of navigability in the river till December.
The new ferry ghat will be constructed by shifting Mongol Majhi ghat to 400 metres far from the existing place.
Golam Sadeq said, "We have a time limitation. We instructed people concerned to open the ghat for vehicular movement from April 28 by completing the construction work of the ghat. Hope, the construction work will be started within a day or two in Zajira."
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He also said BITWA has increased the number of ghats to ensure the carrying of the passengers during disaster-prone weather.
"Movement of ferries will be kept normal during Eid on Shimulia-Majhirghat and Shimulia-Banglabazar route.
Banglabazar ferry ghat will be closed permanently and Majhirghat will be a modern one by renovation after the inauguration of the Padma Bridge," Golam added.