Ferry service remains suspended on Dhawapara-Nazirganj route for 11 days

Ferry services on the Dhawapara-Nazirganj river route in Rajbari district have remained suspended for 11 days due to strong currents in the Padma River, forcing vehicles to take a long detour via the Lalon Shah Bridge in Kushtia.

With no ferry service available, passengers are crossing the turbulent river by engine-run trawlers and speedboats, amid allegations of charging higher fares.

According to the Aricha office of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), ferry operations on the route were suspended on the night of September 6 as the strong current made it impossible for the ferry to travel from Dhawapara to Nazirganj.

The ferry, carrying vehicles waiting at Dhawapara, tried for several hours to move against the current but failed. Later, it was anchored at Dhawapara ghat.

Two medium-sized ferries, Camelia and Kopoti, used to operate on the route.

Kopoti has remained out of service since July 23 due to engine problems, while Camelia, the only operational ferry, was suspended after the evening of 6 September.

Rabiul Haque, second master of Camelia, said the distance between Dhowapara and Nazirganj is around seven kilometres.

Ferry operations had been hampered for about one and a half months due to the rise in water level of Padma River, he said.

"During the monsoon, it takes about one to one-and-a-quarter hours to travel from Nazirganj to Dhawapara. But travelling from Dhawapara to Nazirganj against the current takes around three to three-and-a-quarter hours," he said.

The ferry reached Dhawapara around 9:30pm on September 6 with 10 vehicles after leaving Nazirganj at around 8:30pm.

After unloading, it left Dhawapara around 10:30pm with 13 waiting vehicles for Nazirganj.

However, despite trying for nearly three and a half hours, it could hardly make any progress against the current.

He said the engine came under heavy pressure, creating a risk of fire, and the ferry was suspended after consultations with the authorities.

Meanwhile, passengers have alleged that trawler and speedboat operators are charging higher fares following the suspension of ferry services.

Nasir Uddin, a businessman at Belgachhi Bazar in Rajbari, said the regular trawler fare from Nazirganj to Dhawapara is Tk 50, but passengers are now being charged Tk 70.

He said the fare from Dhawapara to Nazirganj is Tk 80, with an additional Tk 5 entry fee, while speedboats are charging Tk 150 per passenger for the roughly seven-kilometre journey.

Trawler operator Abdul Jabbar Sardar said there is no lease arrangement at Nazirganj ghat, and passengers are normally charged Tk 50. The fare has now been increased to Tk 70 due to the suspension of ferry services.

He said Dhawapara ghat is leased, so passengers are charged Tk 80 along with Tk 5 as BIWTA toll, totalling Tk 85.

"There is no additional fare being charged here," he said.

Rabiul Islam, assistant manager (commercial) in charge of the BIWTC Dhawapara ghat, said ferry operations had been suspended since the night of September 6 as the vessel could not operate against the strong current.

Around 150 to 200 vehicles used to cross the route every day, he said.

A ferry named Kadam was scheduled to arrive from the Roumari-Chilmari route, but it could not be brought in as the intensity of the current increased further.

"There is no alternative but to keep the ferry service suspended until the current subsides," he said.