Ferry service on Padma faces disruption
Dredging stopped since Tuesday
Our Correspondent, Manikganj
Ferry service in Paturia-Daulatdia and Paturia-Nagarbari routes in the Padma may be disrupted any time as dredging of the channels is stopped since Tuesday morning for want of fuel. Ferry vessels ply the routes with risk as their propellers at times touch sand underneath, their operators said while talking to this correspondent yesterday. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) engaged Water Development Board's dredgers with a target to remove 12 lakh cubic metres of silt from Paturia ferry terminal area at a cast of Tk 11 crore to ensure normal operation. Four dredgers removed about 4,17,000 cubic meters of silt since the operation began on August 28, said an official of a dredging unit of BIWTA. Three more were needed to keep the channels navigable as the river is falling fast, he said. The BIWTA official said WDB, which has been given Tk 110 crore, is responsible for continuing the dredging. But it failed. When contacted, WDB officials here said the dredging operation remained stopped for want of fuel. However, fuel will be procured soon through tender, they said.
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