United News of Bangladesh

A bus that plunged into the Padma River from the pontoon of the Daulatdia Ferry Terminal in Goalanda upazila of Rajbari on Friday morning was salvaged several hours later, with no casualties reported. Rescue vessel Hamza salvaged the submerged bus from the riverbed around 12:00pm, said Mohammad Salah Uddin, assistant general manager of BIWTC's Daulatdia office. The accident occurred around 9:25am at Terminal-7 when the Dhaka-bound ‘SB Super Deluxe’ bus from Kushtia lost control and fell into the river while trying to board the ferry Bir Shreshtha Jahangir, officials and witnesses said. According to local authorities, passengers had already disembarked before the bus approached the pontoon, preventing what could have been a major tragedy. Goalanda Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sathi Das said there were no reports of deaths or missing persons. “All passengers got off the bus before it moved towards the pontoon. We have not received any missing complaints,” she said. The driver and his assistants, who were inside the vehicle at the time of the accident, were rescued with the help of locals and taken to Goalanda Upazila Health Complex for treatment. Barak Sheikh, supervisor of the transport company at Daulatdia Ghat, said the bus was carrying 37 passengers, while the driver, supervisor and helper remained on board when the accident occurred. He said the bus was attempting to board the ferry when it suddenly lost control, struck the ramp of another medium-sized ferry stationed nearby and broke through it before plunging into the river. Immediately after the incident, members of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), River Police and other agencies launched a rescue operation. Hamza also rushed to the spot to join the rescue efforts. The latest incident has revived memories of a deadly accident at the same ferry terminal on March 25 this year, when a bus plunged into the Padma River from the pontoon, leaving at least 26 people dead.

A passenger bus fell into the Padma River while waiting to board a ferry at Daulatdia Ghat in Rajbari on Wednesday evening. Md. Monir Hossain, in charge of Daulatdia ferry ghat, said that at around 5:15 pm, a passenger bus of Showhardo Paribahan arrived at Ghat No. 3 in Daulatdia to cross the river. At that time, a ferry at the ghat was leaving for Paturia in Manikganj with vehicles on board. As the bus could not board it, it waited for another ferry. Shortly afterward, a utility (small) ferry named 'Hasna Hena' arrived at the ghat and hit the pontoon. "Unable to withstand the impact, the bus on the pontoon fell into the Padma River," he said.

The hawkers who ply their trade on the Daulatdia-Paturia ferry route are newly worried about running out of business at Daulatdia ferry ghat now that the Padma Bridge opened for traffic on June 25. The government had provided a clarification prior to the opening that ferry services, at least in terms of availability and legal permits or schedules, could continue as before. But the challenge was always going to be competing with the $3.6 billion bridge as a preferred mode to cross the river.  When it comes to public demand, they simply cannot compete with the bridge in the long run. And it now looks like their demise may come even sooner than expected. Alongside them, hundreds of hawkers who used to depend on the heavy footfall of launch passengers are faced with the same fate.  During a recent visit to the Daulatdia Ghat, UNB’s Rajbari correspondent learned that the shops situated along both sides of the ferry ghat were already closing. Some hawkers had  covered their stalls in polythene. The lack of ferry/launch passengers has also meant the usual bustle of the ghat is gone, and launch staff are no longer engaged in aggressive tactics to pull customers away from competitors. Besides, passengers have to pay Tk 5 as entry fee to enter the launch ghat. A few passengers were seen waiting at the launch ghat after purchasing their tickets. Alamin Bapari, a collector of entry fees at Daulatdia ferry ghat, said they used to collect fees from 6 am to 9 pm each day and some 4000/5000 people on average would go through the ghat each day, even just prior to the inauguration of Padma Bridge. That number has already dropped to a mere 1200-1500, which is way under even half the number of passengers they served before. Currently, passenger buses are moving over the Padma Bridge from Faridpur and people are using the bus to cross the bridge - a long-cherished dream for many. This is the main reason behind low turnout of passengers, said Alamin. Also read: Padma Bridge to bring good luck for the Sundarbans tourism