United News of Bangladesh

With the Eid ul-Fitr  fast approaching, the country’s busiest river crossing at Paturia Ferry ghat remains far from ready, raising fears of major disruptions for thousands of homebound travellers heading to southwestern districts. Repair work at the terminal remains incomplete, while the approach roads to the ghats are still unusually steep, causing vehicles to struggle while boarding and disembarking ferries. Passengers and drivers fear that the situation may worsen when traffic pressure surges during the Eid rush. Patuaria ferry terminal serves as a key gateway for passengers and vehicles travelling to and from 21 districts in the country’s south-western region. Traffic typically multiplies several times during Eid holidays. Although the terminal authorities usually take special measures to ensure smooth ferry crossings during the festive travel season travellers say visible preparations are still lacking this year. Five ghats at Patuaria were severely damaged by strong currents of the Padma River during last year’s monsoon, causing prolonged suffering for commuters and transport operators. Nearly six months later, the damaged facilities have yet to be fully repaired. For now, ferry operations are continuing through temporary arrangements. The steep approach roads have become a major concern. Vehicles frequently stall while climbing up from the ferries, forcing authorities to use wreckers to pull them up, which delays ferry operations and causes traffic congestion at the terminal. Drivers say the steep slope often causes vehicles to get stuck midway. In some cases, vehicles lose brake control and roll backwards towards the pontoon, occasionally even falling into the river. On Wednesday night around 8:00pm, a ten-wheeler oil tanker slipped off the approach road while disembarking from the ferry Shah Makhdum at Patuaria ferry terminal No. 5 and plunged into the river after the driver failed to control the brakes. Abdus Salam, deputy general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) in Aricha region, said the river’s water level has dropped significantly, forcing pontoons to be lowered and making the approach roads steeper. “As a result, vehicles are facing difficulties while boarding and leaving ferries, and the number of ferry trips has also declined,” he said. BIWTC has repeatedly requested the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to reduce the slope of the approach roads. However, he said the number of ferries has been increased to 17 to handle the anticipated Eid rush and expressed hope that crossings would remain manageable if all ghats remain operational. During a visit to the terminal on Saturday, workers were seen cutting soil with excavators to level the steep approach roads at three ghats. The work, however, is slowing vehicle movement as ferries load and unload passengers and vehicles. With Eid travel already beginning, passengers fear the suffering may intensify if the work is not completed quickly. Mohammad Robiul Alam, executive engineer of BIWTA’s Aricha regional office, said work to level the approach roads at three ghats has already started. “The excessively steep slopes will be normalised within two to three days,” he said. Meanwhile, the condition of the Patuaria launch terminal is also poor. Truck carrying oil recovered from river in Paturia, Manikganj