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Around 12 noon, the BIWTC Shimulia Ghat Marine Officer Ahmed Ali told Prothom Alo: “We have 14 ferries but now we can operate 5 ferries. The ferries sail around Jazira Point on the China Naval Channel. There are more winding roads and strong currents. So the ferries take a little longer to cross. He added: ‘The canal is not suitable for night ferry service. So for now we will stop the ferry service for the night. BIWTA’s dredging department is excavating the old channel at Lohajong Point. If that channel is correct, the ferry can be run again as before.
When asked about the dredging, a BIWTA official, who did not want to be named, said: “The course of the Padma River has changed due to the large piers of the Padma Bridge. The characters are awake in different parts of the river. The ships cannot move properly because a submarine has formed at the bottom of the river. Dredging is not doing much to deal with the situation. This channel will never return to its normal state. However, the excavation of the canal is still continuing. There is no chance that the ferry traffic will be completely normal before the winter season.
Meanwhile, more than two hundred vehicles wait to cross both ports when the ferry service has started. In this regard, the Kanthalbari Ferry Ghat Monirul Islam Traffic Police (TI) Inspector said: ‘There was no pressure from vehicles except some cargo trucks in the morning. After 12 o’clock, some vehicles began to arrive at the pier. But the ferry carries a very limited load. Therefore, there is some traffic pressure on both ports.
