Aricha ghat may soon buzz with life again
Ferry terminal to be shifted from Paturia due to silt deposit
Jahangir Alam Biswas, Manikganj
Once busy Aricha Ghat may regain its glory and vivacity. The ferry terminal shifted from Aricha to Paturia due to deposit of silt there in 2002 may be restored to its original site. Paturia-Daulatdia and Paturia Nagarbari (Kazirhat) routes in the Padma have become risky for vessels near Paturia ferry terminal due to massive underwater shoals even in the current rainy season, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) officials said while talking to this correspondent yesterday. They said they are thinking to shift the terminal from Paturia to Aricha soon, possibly within a week. They said a three-kilometer shoal has emerged in front of Paturia ferry terminal. Ferry vessels are plying in the Paturia-Daulatdia route with considerable risk. At times, their propellers touch sand under water. Two ferries ran aground on shoals near Paturia terminal in last one week. Moreover, ferry can harbour at the fourth ferry pontoon. Even the channel dredged last year has also become silted. A team of high officials of BIWTA and BIWTC (Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation) visited Paturia, Daulatdia and Aricha ferry terminals last week to assess the situation. They included BIWTA Member Engineer Firoz Ahmed, Director (CMP) Ibrahim Hossain, Additional Chief Engineer Abdul Motin and Executive Engineer (dredging unit) Saiful Islam; and BIWTC General Manager (commercial) Mohammad Ali and General Manager (Marine) Capt. Shawkat Sardar. After visiting the three terminals, they told newsmen at Aricha that the ferry terminal will be shifted there from Paturia as Aricha-Daulatdia and Aricha Nagarbari (Kazirhat) routes are now not safe for vessels. There is no navigability problem at Aricha as 30-35 feet water remains in the channel. Shifting of the terminal to Paturia had cut the cost for running ferry vessels and saved time as the distance from Paturia to Daulatdia is less than half of the distance from Aricha to Daulatdia. Huge amounts were spent to keep the Paturia ferry terminal navigable. BIWTA sources said Tk 6 crore was spent for dredging the channel from August alst year to January this year. Six dredgers had removed 7.66 lakh cubic metres of silt from the paturia channel area during the period. They said over Tk 100 crore was spent for dredging channels in Aricha and Paturia terminal areas in last 13 years. Other sources said dredging is done every year because the silt removed from the channel is dumped at a short distance in the river, which rolls back into the channel after some time.
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