The busiest and most popular waterway in Bangladesh is the Paturia-Daulatdia ferry terminal

The Paturia-Daulatdia route is one of the means of communication in the capital with about 21 districts in the south-west. More than 1,200 vehicles are waiting at both ferry terminals for this busiest waterway crossing.

Drivers and passengers have to wait for hours in the ghat area for half an hour navigable crossing. Although buses and small cars have to wait for one to one and a half hours to cross the route, ordinary truck drivers have to wait for 15 to 20 hours.

Long queues of buses, trucks and small vehicles were seen on the spot in Paturia Ferry Ghat area of ​​Shibalaya upazila of Manikganj around 12 noon on Thursday. The ferry wharf authorities said that the suffering in the navigable crossing is increasing due to the increased traffic in the ghat area.

Talking to Zero Point area of ​​Paturia Ferry Ghat, Hanif Paribahan passenger Afroza Mim Nishi said that their family left Gabtali with their family and reached Paturia Ghat at 10:30 am. He said the ferry was not seen even after an hour and a half had passed in the ghat area.

Abdul Wahab Miah, a passenger on the same transport, said the suffering on the Paturia-Daulatdia route was nothing new. Although development is taking place all over the country, there is no touch of modernity in the ferry area. He said that it was very difficult to sit in the bus in extreme heat and sought the attention of the concerned authorities to alleviate the suffering.

Afzal Hossain, a truck driver, said he had been waiting for tickets at the truck terminal in the Paturia ferry area since midnight on Wednesday. Even after getting the ticket, you have to wait for 5 to 6 hours in the ferry area. He said that despite the regular suffering in the ghat area, the concerned authorities were indifferent to these issues.

Salam Hossain, manager of the commerce department at the Aricha office of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation, said there was extra pressure on southwestern vehicles in the Paturia ferry area. In the last Paturia ferry terminal area, more than seven hundred general freight trucks, two hundred private small vehicles and more than a hundred trucks are waiting for the navigable crossing.He said that the suffering of ordinary freight truck drivers is increasing as buses, small vehicles and emergency freight trucks are crossing the route on priority basis considering the plight of passengers.

Mahbub Ali Sardar, manager of commerce at Daulatdia Ferry Ghat area of ​​Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation, said Dhaka-bound buses and private small vehicles are less congested in the Daulatdia ferry area of ​​Rajbari.That is why the waiting truck drivers are getting the opportunity to cross the navigable route. He said more than two hundred ordinary trucks carrying goods were waiting for the route crossing at the last Daulatdia ferry terminal.

Zillur Rahman, DGM, Aricha office, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation, said there are a total of 16 small and large mills on the Paturia-Daulatdia route. All the ferries are running on the route. However, he said the suffering was increasing due to increased traffic congestion in both the ferry terminal areas of the route.

@steemchiller