Paturia Ferry Chaos: Four ghats out of service for three months

Locals blame the prolonged delay on the inaction of the local administration.

Of the five ghats at the terminal, only Ghat No 3 is fully operational for vehicle crossings, while the other four are partially functional or completely closed. This has left passengers from 21 southwestern districts facing long delays, with many forced to wait for hours to cross the Padma River, locals alleged.

A recent visit to the terminal revealed that Ghats No. 1 and 5 remain completely shut. Ghats No. 2 and 4 are only partially operational, while Ghat No. 3 handles almost all vehicle traffic. Ghat No. 5 has become entirely unusable, with both pontoon ramps stuck at an elevated angle, while Ghat No. 1’s ramp has detached from the ground and the approach road is heavily damaged.

At Ghat No. 2, a wide gap between the pontoon ramp and the connecting road hampers vehicle movement, limiting ferry operations.

Meanwhile, the front section of the low-water-level zone at Ghat No. 4 has collapsed, causing heavy vehicles to become stuck and requiring towing before others can pass.

Officials explained that all five ghats were damaged in August by the strong currents of the Padma River. At the time, pontoons were moved to higher ground. However, as water levels dropped sharply, the elevated pontoons became unusable.

Erosion of the lower approach roads has made repositioning the pontoons impossible, creating a depth of around 30 to 40 feet under the pontoon that requires major reconstruction. Without significant repair work, four ghats cannot be restored.

Drivers and passengers alike described long waits and mounting frustration. Shafique Mia, a driver for the Faridpur-bound ‘Golden Line Paribahan’, said, “If all ghats were functional, we wouldn’t have to wait. Now we wait one to two hours before crossing.” Farid Khan, a passenger heading to Jhenaidah on the ‘Purbaasha Paribahan’, recalled waiting nearly one and a half hours at the Paturia terminal.

Truck driver Bashir Ahmed, travelling to Khulna with vehicle parts, said his truck became stuck on the approach road due to heavy load, forcing him to pay Tk 1,500 for towing. “Drivers and owners are suffering badly,” he said.

Terminal staff highlighted that the lack of repair work over the past three months has caused immense hardship for passengers on the Paturia–Daulatdia route, particularly as heavy vehicles frequently get stuck while boarding or disembarking from the ferries.

They urged the government to initiate urgent repairs to alleviate public suffering.

Abdus Salam, deputy general manager of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), noted that ferry traffic has declined due to the non-operational ghats, resulting in reduced government revenue.

He said the maintenance and repair of ferry ghats fall under the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), which has received multiple letters requesting immediate repairs, reports UNB. 

BIWTA Executive Engineer Robiul Islam confirmed that the collapse of the low-water-level sections has been reported to higher authorities. “Once funds.