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DHAKA-PATURIA

M Abul KALAM Azad, back from Paturia
Only a few dozen passengers managed to reach Gabtali bus terminal by 6:30am. Within half an hour, the number rose to several hundreds.
By 10:00am, thousands of
passengers had thronged the terminal and adjacent roads.
However, till then not a single bus had appeared to ease the situation.
When the passengers realised they had tough luck ahead, they started looking for alternatives. The fortunate ones hopped into private cars, humanhaulers or even trucks that passed along the road.
Around that time, a number of buses appeared with the aim of doing 'good' business. They demanded unusually high fares to transport people to places like Savar, Nabinagar and Paturia.
But their business plan soon withered as the transport union leaders joined the show.
Abdus Salam, executive president of Dhaka District Transport Workers Association, aided by his supporters, dragged the drivers and helpers from the buses and beat them up for defying an order. They
also forced the waiting passengers to get out of the buses. Angry transport workers also ransacked several buses, bringing about a total halt to transport movement.
This action explained why there had not been a single inter-district bus on the 80-km Dhaka-Paturia Highway for the best part of the day. The busy road was almost empty with thousands of stranded people waiting for any modes of vehicles at different bazaars.
Some CNG-run autorickshaws, human-haulers, trucks and microbuses were seen overcrowded with passengers.
The round-the-clock busy Paturia ferry ghat looked almost deserted, with only a few trucks and private cars to be seen.
"On average, 500 buses use the ferry ghat every day. Usually buses and trucks queue up for miles to get on the ferries," said Nur Mohammad at BIWTA toll counter.
Only four out of nine ferries operated yesterday, he added.
All the 37 launches that mainly carry passengers on the Paturia-Daulatdia route remained anchored since Saturday night. Launch owners said the local administration had asked them to halt services till the evening of March 12.
"All launches plying on the Paturia-Daulatdia and Aricha-Kazirhat routes have been asked to stay in Paturia and Aricha so that people from the other sides cannot cross the river," said Siddique, master of Anonya River Lines.
The picture at the Daulatdia end was similar. Passengers coming on ferries narrated the same miserable stories of their struggle for transport.
"I reached Daulatdia from Jhenidah after changing vehicles on several occasions. It was like a nightmare," Moshiur told The Daily Star at Paturia at noon. He and dozens of others were in a hurry as
they were to face the same kind of hurdles all the way up to Dhaka.
The journey towards Dhaka was, however, more difficult not because of the transport crisis but owing to repeated checking by police at different points. Policemen spared not a single taxicab, autorickshaw or private car coming from Paturia and Aricha.
"Where are you coming from? Why are you going to Dhaka? What do you do?" These were the questions police asked each of the passengers. Each vehicle and person was also checked thoroughly.
Senior ASP of Manikganj Sadar Circle Jasim Uddin said the search was to prevent criminals from going to Dhaka and making attempts to create anarchy tomorrow (Monday). There was, however, no arrest or recovery of illegal arms or ammunition during the police search till 2:00pm at Manikganj bazaar.