Staff Correspondent, Munshiganj
Shimulia terminal was teeming with homebound people ahead of Eid on Friday. Thousands of people were found leaving the capital for southern districts ignoring the lockdown.
Passengers were seen crossing the Padma by ferry as launches and speedboats are not currently operating. Many ferries were being forced to leave for the destinations without any vehicle due to the massive crowd of passengers. Thousands of transports were seen waiting at the ferry terminal to cross the river.
Md Shafiqul Islam, assistant general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) said that among the 16 commuting ferries of the ferry fleet of Shimulia-Banglabazar, 13 are operating to cross the river. Three ferries have become crippled.
Due to the lockdown, services of all the 87 launches of the route have been suspended. Around 450 speedboats and hundreds of trawlers had been plying despite the ban, but it has been shut down due to the administration's strictures following the speedboat accident that took place on Sunday last. Therefore, the entire pressure falls on the ferry now.
Thousands of passengers crossed the river standing on the ferry amidst the risk of corona transmission. Almost everyone was violating the health guidelines. Many were seen without masks even in the crowd.
Thousands of people had to suffer as vehicles including freight trucks were stuck on both sides of the river. Meanwhile, due to the closure of public transport on this route, general public had to pay higher fares. Drivers of microbuses and CNG auto-rickshaws are charging Tk 200 to Tk 300 instead of Tk 80 per person from Dhaka to Shimulia. Motorbikes are charging up to Tk 500.