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Daulatdia Ferry Terminal

Congestion ’created’ for extortion

M ABUL KaLAM AZAD, from Daulatdia ferry terminal
The Daulatdia-Paturia route has plunged into a crisis as four ferries lie idle, awaiting repairs at Paturia terminal. The shortage of ferries results in a huge tailback of vehicles on either side of the Padma. Seven to nine ferries have been operating on the route for decades and they go for repairs more frequently than they should. The photo was taken on Tuesday. photo: rashed shumon
Brokers with the help of police and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) staff intentionally create traffic congestion at Daulatdia ferry terminal in a bid to increase their illegal earning from drivers, especially truckers.
Shortage of ferries and poor infrastructure of the terminal help them blackmail the drivers and realise toll as vehicles remain stranded in long queues for hours, terminal sources say.
Usually every driver pays an additional Tk 300 to Tk 400 to the brokers, locally known as ’dalals’, for 'serial' and buying ferry tickets. The amount becomes double when there arc long queues of traffic, they add.
"We even have to pay up to Tk 2,000 to Tk 5,000 sometimes to cross the river," said a driver at Daulatdia terminal. "Claims of the dalals rise with the rise in number of vehicles in the terminal," he added.
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Sources say a strong syndicate of brokers, police, and BIWTC staff also manipulates ferry services between Daulatdia and Paturia terminals.
In many cases, ferries wait at Paturia terminal for traffic but don't come to Daulatdia to reduce huge traffic congestion there, the sources say.
Empty ferries are supposed to come to Daulatdia terminal whenever there is small number of traffic at Paturia. But the practice suddenly stopped a few months ago, which is a major reason for constant traffic congestion at Daulatdia, they add.
Assistant General Manager of BIWTC at Daulatdia terminal Nasir Chowdhury denied the allegation of manipulating the ferry service to Paturia.
"Ferry sendee may be
late sometimes, but we never halted ferry movement for other reasons," he said and claimed, "It is the serious shortage of ferries that hampers transport of the vehicles."
He said only seven to nine ferries have been operating on Paturia-Daulatdia route for decades.
Poor and limited infrastructure in Daulatdia hugely favours the syndicate to manipulate transport serial and realise extra money from the drivers.
There is only one road used for both loading and unloading at Daulatdia, which is a major cause of chaotic traffic situation at the terminal. There are three bypass roads in Paturia, but not a single one at Daulatdia, where they are the more needed.
The authorities did not take any initiative to improve the terminal facilities in the past. The road approaching the terminal is not only narrow but also very dilapidated, all causing difficulties in traffic movement.
Construction of a one kilometre bypass road was launched in May last year and was supposed to complete by June this year. But the contractor failed to do that within the deadline and the Tk 4 crore project got six months' extension.
Upgrading 2.5 kilometre of main road from the terminal also remained suspended mysteriously for the last three months. Noone can say when the work will resume.
People in Daulatdia allege brokers, who are backed by local ruling party men, arc making delay in construction of the bypass
and the four-lane work.
Although only 70 trucks can park in the terminal's truck stand, the parking is either remained unused or being used by local buses.
Trucks after getting serial numbers and ferry tickets are supposed to stay at the stand before boarding the ferry. But the syndicate members don't allow them to use that. As a result, these trucks remain on the road, adding to the congestion and delay.
"Trucks however are sent to the parking space only if they don't pay the brokers for serial number and buy ferry tickets," a tea stall owner at Daulatdia told The Daily Star.
Many in the terminal said the reign of brokers will not stop unless several bypasses are constructed and terminal infrastructures are improved.