Fog halts Paturia-Daulatdia ferry services

Ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route in the Padma River remained halted from early Thursday due to dense fog, reports UNB.

The authorities of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) kept the ferry services and plying of the water vessels suspended on the route from 3:00am due to blurred visibility for dense fog, said manager of BIWTC Salah Uddin.

Four ferries remained motionless in the middle of the Padma because of the suspension, he said.

Five ferries with a good number of vehicles and passengers on board lay anchored at Paturia and six ferries at Daulatdia.

Passengers suffered as more than 700 vehicles had to be kept waiting on both sides of the river for crossing, said Abu Abdullah, assistant manager of BIWTC at Daulatdia.

Ferry services on the important route will resume once the visibility returns, he added.

Also, ferry services on the Shimulia-Kathalbari route in the Padma River had remained disrupted for three and an half hours since 5:00 am due to thick fog.

Khandaker Khaled, assistant general manager (AGM) of BIWTC at Shimulia, said for ferry service disruption, some 150 vehicles remained waiting at Kathalbari ghat and 250 more vehicles at Shimulia sides of the river for crossing.