Ferry service on the Aricha-Kazirhat route across the Jamuna River remained suspended for more than 10 hours on Friday due to a lack of navigability, causing traffic congestion and public sufferings.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation suspended the ferry movement at about 9:00am as Aricha-bound ferry from Kazirhat Sufia Kamal got stuck at a sandbar.
BIWTC Aricha regional office manager Shah Muhammad Khalid Nawaz said that they could not resume the service till 7:30pm.
He said that they tried to solve the problem but failed.
Several transport workers said that they had been waiting for more than 10 hours, but they were still unaware of the resume of ferry service.
They also said that there had been no ferry crossing the river in the last 10 hours.
Officials said that the route became risky for ferry movement due to the navigability problem.
If the stuck ferry was not relieved, they would not be able to resume ferry service, the officials added.
They said that the problem arose because of the lack of proper dredging.
The BIWTA authorities have been operating five ferries on the route that carry several thousand vehicles, including goods-laden trucks and buses.
Several hundred vehicles with passengers and transport workers were stranded at both ends of the route. They were travelling to and from north-western districts and upazilas, including Pabna and Ishwardi.
Cars, microbuses and goods-laden trucks were seen waiting in several kilometres-long queues in Aricha ferry terminal area.
