The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

A hydrological survey team of BIWTA reached at the spot on Thursday to find out alternative channel to resume ferry services and road communication of southern region with Chittagong suspended since last Monday due to lack of navigability of channel in Meghna.

BIWTC and BIWTA sources in Barisal said this survey team will visit the area and study feasibility about opening of newly found alternative channels on this route. If the BIWTC and BIWTA regularly scan the hydrological surveys, then new and alternative channels can be easily found downstream, they opined.

Abdul Mannan Howlader, Chairman and Emdadul Huq, Director Conservancy of BIWTA, told the journalists that after completing the survey BIWTA will set up navigation marking and give approval for using that channel for water transportation within a short time.

It will be very risky to resume the ferry service through the new channel without proper hydrological survey and without installing navigation signs and markings using manual means for measuring the depth of water with plumb lines or bamboo poles, even at high tide, they said.

Local businessmen warned that long suspension of ferry services, that link many places with business hub Chittagong, may have a very bad impact on regional business, Ramzan and the Eid market.

Now the businessmen of southern region have to import goods from Chittagong moving more 350 kilometres extra distance via Dhaka and it made the carrying cost almost double, they added.

It may be mentioned that Bhola-Laxmipur ferry service linking southern region with Chittagong was officially inaugurated on February 26, 2008.

Road communications in the southern region and Chittagong have been disrupted after the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation announced suspension of ferry services on the Bhola-Lakshmipur route on Meghna River since Monday morning.

The decision was taken after 'Ketoki' and 'Kamini', two K-type ferries, loaded with numerous vehicles and passengers got stuck because of shoals in the Bongar Char channel of the Meghna River.