Several thousand homebound people thronged Shimulia ferry ghat on Wednesday morning to cross the river Padma five days ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The authorities concerned of the ferry ghat were found struggling a lot to manage the huge rush of homebound people as only seven ferries are operating now instead of 18..

People were seen waiting at the ferry terminal for several hours amid the scorching heat. Talking to UNB, some passengers said this year the number of ferries is less than the previous year and they are going to their homes today to avoid mad rush.

Md Soleman, inspector of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) at Shimulia ghat, said currently 153 speedboats and 83 launches are operating on the route as the number of ferries is insufficient.

HM Yeadul Islam, terminal super of BIWTC, said Bangladesh Inland and Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) has taken adequate measures to ensure the safe journey of the homebound people. "We are trying our best to tackle huge pressure of vehicles," he said.

The movement of the ferry on the Shimulia-Banglabazar route remained suspended since August 18, 2021 due to a strong current in the Padma River. Later the authorities concerned resumed its operation on November 8 during the daytime.

On December 13, the operation of ferries resumed on a limited scale after avoiding Padma Bridge. Full-fledged operation of ferries resumed on Wednesday with a few numbers of ferries on the route.

Source: UNB