Munshiganj Correspondent: On the occasion of the holy Eid ul-Fitr, the passage of motorcycles on the Shimulia-Mazhikandi ferry route has started under the Padma bridge.
Motorcycle crossing starts at 6 a.m. on Tuesday (April 18). The fare is Tk 150 per motorcycle and Tk 36 per passenger. Shimulia Ghat Manager (Commercial) Jamal Hossain confirmed this information.
He said that on Monday (April 17) afternoon, the ferry Kalmilta left Shimulia Ghat with a motorcycle on an experimental basis. The ferry passes under the Padma Bridge and reaches Majhikandi Ghat after an hour and a half. However, there is a navigable crisis in some parts of the Majhikandi Ghat area.
Jamal Hossain said, to resolve the naval crisis, the pontoon will be crossed by motorcycles every three hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day from today. However, if the motorcycle pressure is high, the ferry will be released before the specified time. If the vehicle load is high, the number of ferries will be increased if necessary.
He also said that most of the people in the 21 districts in the southern region are heading towards Dhaka. This decision has been taken by the government so that they can go home from Dhaka by motorcycle. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) has decided to allow the passage of motorcycles on the Shimulia-Mazhikandi route by ferries Kunjalta and Kalmilta. These ferries can carry 150 motorcycles per trip. Motorcycle crossing operations on the ferry will continue until further notice. Out of the total of 4 ferries at Shimuli, the VIP ferry (No. 4) is being used for motorcycle crossing.
When the Padma Bridge was opened for traffic on the morning of June 26, two people lost control of their motorcycle and were killed that afternoon. Following a notice on June 26, the government announced a ban on motorcycles on Padma Bridge from 6 a.m. on June 27 until further orders.
Although it has been closed for a long time due to security reasons, the bridge authorities have allowed ferries to run under the Padma Bridge on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr.
