Crowds Increasing at Shimulia Ferry Terminal Ahead Of Eid

The traffic pressure at the Shimulia ferry terminal in Munshiganj has been increasing since Friday morning as vehicles started arriving from Dhaka, causing immense suffering for homebound people ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, reports media.

The ferry terminal is having to cope with the massive influx of passengers bound for their hometowns with only 10 ferries operating on Shimulia-Banglabazar and Majhirkanda routes.

As the day progressed, rows of vehicles became longer. Passengers are coming to the Shimulia ferry terminal by bus, laguna, and battery-powered autorickshaw in the morning and crossing the river on launches and speedboats in risky conditions due to the ferry crisis and delays in starting the ferries. 

College student Arifin Mollah said that he came to the ferry terminal by bus without any hassles and was willing to cross the river by speed boat.

Mohammad Faisal, manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTC) at Shimulia ghat, said the number of passengers has increased ahead of Eid.

"We are operating seven ferries on the Banglabazar route and three on the Majhirkanda route", he added.

Shimulia River Port Naval Safety and Traffic Management Assistant Director Shahadat Hossain said, people are traveling in launches and speedboats rather than waiting for the ferry. As of this morning, 155 speedboats and 87 launches are operating on the route.