GOALANDA, RAJBARI: Over 1,500 vehicles including night coaches and goods-laden trucks remained stranded at Daulatdia ghat on Sunday, awaiting ferry to cross the Padma River.

A five-kilometer tailback, stretching from Zero Point of Daulatdia to Goalanda Feed Mill area, appeared on Dhaka-Khulna highway, causing a lot of sufferings to passengers.

Sources of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), Daulatdia office told banglanews that heavy fog has been halting water vessels plying on Daulatdia-Paturia route during night for several days.

As a result, ferry service remains stopped for five hours to nine hour till the morning almost everyday, forcing 1,500 vehicles, including one thousand goods-laden trucks and five hundred passenger coaches, to remain stranded.

Rashid Mian, driver of a tiles-loaded truck, told banglanews that he came there on Thursday night and has not managed to board on the ferry to cross the river.

Night coaches, carrying hundreds of passengers, arrived there on Saturday night, have not been crossed the river yet, Sahidul Islam, a supervisor of AK Travels’ Daulatdia office, told banglanews.

Terming disruption of water vessels movement due to dense fog ‘a natural problem’, BIWTC Daulatdia office manger Shafiqul Islam said that the authorities have nothing to do with it. 

To reduce sufferings, passenger-loaded and emergency vehicles are being crossed on priority basis, added the manager.

BDST: 1405 HRS, DEC 28, 2014