Ferry operations along the Kathalbari-Shimulia route have been disrupted due to poor navigability through a stretch of the Padma River, leaving nearly hundreds of vehicles stranded at the two landings.
The authorities suspended ferry crossings after a vessel got stuck in a shoal around 9 am Thursday. However, launch and speedboat operations remain unaffected, bdnews24.com reported.
As many as 18 ferries regularly ply the Shimulia-Kathalbari waterway, according to Abdul Alim, manager of BIWTC's Kanthalbari terminal.
The services were halted because of navigation issues along the waterway.
But around 200 speedboats and 87 launches are on hand to transport passengers across the river, said Akhter Hossain, traffic inspector at BIWTA's Kathalbari jetty.
The disruption, however, has created a long tailback at the terminal, with nearly 400 goods-laden trucks and vehicles waiting to cross the river, according to the authorities.
Hundreds of vehicles and passengers are similarly stranded at the other end of the route in Shimulia, according to BIWTC's AGM Shafiqul Islam.
“Since Aug 30, a limited number of ferries were operating along the Padma Bridge's channel. The channel was also closed due to navigability crisis around 9 am on Thursday. Now the ferry services are completely closed. The passengers are suffering greatly," he said.
"Dredging work is being carried out in the Padma Bridge channel. The services will resume once the depth of the river there is suitable for navigation.”
