Returning to work after Eid holidays : No passenger, vehicle pressure in Daulatdia, 5946 vehicles cross river in 24- hr on Sunday
Moynul Haque Mridha, Rajbari
People are still returning to work after spending time relaxing with their loved ones on Eid-ul-Fitr. Busy people have started returning to all cities of the country, including the capital Dhaka. Many, especially those working in various private organizations whose holidays ended yesterday, are still returning. However, from Saturday morning to midnight, a huge crowd of Dhaka-bound passengers was seen at the Daulatdia launch and ferry ghats of the Daulatdia-Paturia river route, the gateway to 21 districts of the southwestern region.
On Sunday (April 6), from 12 noon to 2 pm, it was seen that there were no vehicles at the zero point of the ghat. Vehicles were able to board the ferry directly at the ghat. Meanwhile, local bus passengers coming from different districts were crossing the river by ferry and launch. However, there was no crowd of passengers anywhere.
According to the BIWTC Daulatdia Ghat office, there are 17 small and large ferries and 20 launches on the Daulatdia- Paturia waterway. Of the 7 ferry ghats in Daulatdia, 3, 4 and 7 and one launch ghat are operational.
A total of 5,946 vehicles, including 666 buses, 360 trucks, 1,839 small cars and 3,081 motorcycles, crossed the river through Daulatdia in the 24 hours from 6 a.m. on Saturday to 6 a.m. on Sunday.
Khalilur Rahman, a passenger from Rajbari to Mirpur, said, "I work in a private company. I went home on Eid leave. My leave ended last Saturday. I had taken an extra day off from the office. I will be in office tomorrow, Monday, and I am going to Dhaka with my family today. There was no problem on the way or at the ghat, the ghat was completely empty."
Rezaul Hossain, a Gazipur-bound passenger from Meherpur, said, "I have a business establishment in Gazipur. I am going to Dhaka with my family today to avoid the crowd. However, there was no inconvenience during this Eid journey before and after Eid, and I was able to reach home comfortably."
BIWTA's Daulatdia office's Assistant General Manager Md. Salah Uddin said, currently 17 small and large ferries are plying on the Daulatdia-Paturia route for passengers and vehicles. Currently, there is no serial number for vehicles at the pier. Any vehicle can board the ferry directly as soon as it arrives at the pier.
