Ferry services resume at Shimulia-Kathalbari after 17 hrs

Ferry services on Shimulia-Kathalbari river route resumed on Thursday after being halted for 17 hours.

Usually 18 ferries run along the route, between Shimulia, which is in Munshiganj district, and Kathalbari, which is in Madaripur district. However, only 7 could run since 6:00am Thursday.

Plying of launch and speedboat has been halted for strong currents and wind. More than a thousand buses and trucks were stuck at Shimulia ghat of Louhajang and Kathalbari ghat of Shibchar. Hundreds of vehicles laden with cattle were stuck, too. Jashim Uddin Shikder, manager of Kathalbari terminal, said, “We’ve started running ferries though it’s taking twice the time required to reach Shimulia using a different channel.”

Danger signal 2 has been issued for plying of all kinds of vessels along the river Padma.

Passengers faced immense suffering sitting in the queue due to inclement weather.

Shikder Mamun, a Dhaka-bound passenger, said, “I’d reached the terminal starting from Madaripur last night. I’ve waited for the ferry throughout the night. At last I could board a ferry after much suffering around 7:00am amid rain.”

Saidur Rahman, a cattle trader from Narail, said, “I’m waiting for a ferry since Wednesday afternoon. No ferries left the terminal last night. I’m stuck in the queue with a truck laden with cattle. No one can confirm when I can cross the river.”

“It’ll be a huge loss if I can’t reach the market in time,” he added.