Thousands reach Dhaka amid shutdown
Thousands of people were seen returning to the capital from south-eastern region of the country amid the nationwide shutdown enforced to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Daulatdia Ferry Ghat of Rajbari was teeming with Dhaka-bound people on Saturday morning.
The people, mostly workers of readymade garment factories, said their respective work stations are due to open on Sunday.
The government had declared to shut all the public and private offices and educational institutions from 26 March to 4 April and later extended the general holiday to 11 April.
As the public transport was shut, the people rode goods-laden trucks, battery-run auto-rickshaws and other light vehicles to reach the Daulatdia Ghat.
Some of them were seen worried over the opening of their factories amid the shutdown.
Jhenaidah’s Kamal Uddin, who works for a garment factory, said, “The government has put us in danger. The garments workers are asked to join work from Sunday while the countrywide lockdown is still effective. It took me five hours to reach a destination which normally requires around two hours.”
Makim Billam, a garment worker, started from Khulna to reach Dhaka at 6:00 in the morning.
“There is no vehicle. I had to spend ten times more fare and use multiple transports to reach Daulatdia,” he said.
Morshida Akhter and Rita Akhter, two sisters from Bagerhat, work at a garment factory in Gazipur.
They started for Gazipur at seven in the morning. The sisters hired a microbus and paid Tk 800 each to reach the ferry ghat.
Pharmaceutical company officer Hafizur Rahman was bound to Dhaka from Jhenaidah.
He said his office is scheduled to open from Sunday and his employers asked him to reach Dhaka by Saturday.
“I risked my life to reach Dhaka as I don’t have any alternatives. We are already in apprehension over spread of coronavirus in the country. I think it’s too dangerous to travel in this situation,” Hafizur said.
Shahidul Islam, an employee of Amanat Shah ferry docked in Daulatdia’s ghat No. 5, said people started to increase since Saturday morning.
“Three to four thousand people are crossing the river by large ferries,” he said.
Manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation’s (BIWTC) Daulatdia office Abu Abdullah said a total of 14 large and small ferries ply on Daulatdia-Paturia route.
Two large, one medium and two small ferries are currently in operation, he said.
He said people started to move to Dhaka as garment factories are open from Sunday.