Manikganj, Jan 02 (V7N) – Ferry services on the Paturia–Daulatdia route, one of the country’s most important waterways connecting the southern and western regions, have resumed after being suspended for about seven and a half hours due to dense fog.

According to authorities, ferry operations restarted at around 10:00 am on Friday (January 2) as visibility in the river improved. Earlier, all ferry services on the route were temporarily suspended from 3:00 am to prevent possible accidents amid extremely poor visibility caused by thick fog.

Abdus Salam, Assistant General Manager (AGM) of the Aricha Area Office of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), said that ferry movement was resumed once the fog density decreased to a safe level.

He added that as ferry operations remained halted for several hours, nine ferries—both large and small—were deployed to clear the backlog of vehicles stranded at the terminals after services resumed.

“Due to heavy fog, visibility was so poor that nearby vessels and even the riverbanks could not be seen from the ferry bridge. Considering passenger and vehicle safety, the decision to suspend ferry operations was taken,” he said.

During the suspension, long queues of goods-laden trucks, long-distance buses and other vehicles formed at both Paturia and Daulatdia ghats, causing significant suffering for passengers and transport workers.

With the resumption of ferry services, vehicular movement on both sides of the river is gradually returning to normal.

END/SMA/AJ