Shawdesh Desk: Ferry services on the key Paturia-Daulatdia route in Manikganj resumed this morning after 10 hours of disruption due to dense fog.

The services were suspended from 11pm on Tuesday night due to poor visibility, said Zillur Rahman, deputy general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation’s (BIWTC) Aricha terminal.

“Four ferries were stranded in the middle of the Padma River while some others are stuck on both ends of the route,” he said.
Several hundred vehicles, including buses, trucks and cars, remained stranded along with several thousand passengers on both sides.

Passengers said dense fog had been forcing suspension of ferry services for about six to eight hours daily over the last few days. They are suffering because of the shivering cold.

The authorities concerned could not take any alternative steps and although the ferries have fog lights, they are useless, some of the commuters claimed.

Fog lights were installed in ferries in 2014 for smooth sailing in foggy weather. But the fog lights did not make any difference in ferry operation because of their inferior quality, the passengers claimed.

BIWTC officials declined to comment.