The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

The project for the construction of a ferry ghat on either banks of the river Kirtonkhola has been taken. Khandoker Nurul Arefin. chief engineer of the Roads and the Highways Department in charge of Barisal region said the construction of ferry ghat is under process and it would be completed soon.

The Roads and the Highways Department sanctioned about Tk.20 lakhs for the construction of these two ferry ghats. The ferry ghat was the long cherished demand of lakhs of people of the eastern portion of the city. Shariful Islam, executive engineer of the Roads and the Highways Department and Abul Kalam Azad, executive engineer of Ferry Division recently visited the ferry ghat area for finally selecting the spots.

The roads and highway and ferry division officials said that works for invitation of tenders and selection of constructors has already been completed.

It would take at least two months to join pontoons, gangways and ferries after the construction of ghat as per the work order on either banks of the river. After that, all modes of vehicles including minibuses and microbuses from the city could use the ferry ghat more smoothly for river crossing and plying. In the meantime, Azizur Rahman Shahin, general secretary of Bus Owners' Association expressed his wish to connect Char Monai with town service. He said that he would apply to the authority of BRTC for road permit as soon as the ferry services start.

This service would be arranged for the passengers of the eastern region, including Bukhainagar, Char Munai and Biswaserhat and they could communicate with the city through the buses of the town service, he added. An initiative was undertaken a decade ago to introduce ferry service at Beltola ferry ghat in the river Kirtonkhola. Then the ferry service was included in the Barisal-Mehendiganj-Hijla road construction project.

The LGED completed the construction work of the road at Char Monai portion. They invited tenders to make a road pucca at Dinga Manik village at a cost of Tk 15 lakh.

However, as the Roads and the Highways Department could not introduce ferry service, the transports from the city cannot enter there.

Executive engineer of the Roads and the Highways Department said taking the suffering of the people into consideration; the department had undertaken initiatives to introduce ferry service soon.

He said that they would not face any problem to build ferry ghat in the rainy season, adding that the people of Barisal would get happy news soon. Once, people used to communicate with the city through launches and trawlers from Kalibabur ferry ghat, CharMonai and Biswaserhat. Nevertheless, trawlers did not ply from the ferry ghat during the time of eve tide as the Char Badna canal has been filled in.

Then people of the eastern bank of Kirtonkhola started to communicate with the city to go to their working places instead of launches after the development of road communication despite obstructions in crossing the rivers.

Then they were compelled to use Beltala ferry ghat, where only a trawler could not give service in ferrying the people the whole time.

Most of the time, the trawlers over loaded with additional passengers and goods on board had to ply from one bank to another. The small river vessels with motorcycles, vans, rickshaws, tempos and goods on board them became the victims of accidents. In the rainy season, the boats and trawlers, amid storms and rain, are reluctant to cross the river Kirtonkhola. Then the sufferings of the people know no bounds.