Ferry-launch services suspended at Sadarghat, Paturia-Daulatdia due to bad weather

The Ministry of Shipping has temporarily suspended all types of boat operations, including ferries and launches, from the capital's Sadarghat Launch Terminal due to heavy rain.

The ministry's public relations officer Kazi Arif Billah gave this information in a short message on Tuesday (May 26).

Earlier, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) authorities had announced the suspension of ferry and launch operations on the Paturia-Daulatdia and Aricha-Kazirhat river routes due to the Kalbaisakhi storm and heavy rain.

According to BIWTC Aricha office sources, the Kalbaisakhi storm suddenly started in the morning and heavy rain started with it. Due to this, the Padma River became very turbulent. In such a situation, considering the safety of passengers and vehicles on the river, an order was issued to immediately suspend ferry and launch operations.

Sources further said that additional security measures have been strengthened at the pier to prevent any kind of accident.

Meanwhile, thousands of homebound passengers have been facing extreme hardship due to the sudden suspension of boat traffic just before Eid. A total of 26 ferries, 32 launches and 67 speed boats operate on the Paturia-Daulatdia and Aricha-Kazirhat routes to ferry homebound passengers during Eid.