Ferry days now history

Padma Bridge on Sunday finally connected 21 south and south-western districts directly with Dhaka and the rest of the country, giving a sigh of relief to more than 30 million people of the region and businesses of all categories.

In the first eight hours into operation starting from 6am, 15,200 vehicles crossed the bridge. More than Tk 82 lakh in tolls was collected till 2pm.

The authorities termed the response from people visiting the bridge, inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday, as something beyond their expectations.

General people were in an unseen competition to be the first person on the bridge. Hundreds with their vehicles waited for hours for the gates to be opened. Many people shared photos of their toll tickets on social media throughout the day.

Bangladesh Bridge Authority Superintending Engineer Tofazzel Hossain told The Business Post that the crowd was massive as people were waiting for a long time to get on the 6.15-km-long bridge.

“People have been suffering in long queues of vehicles at ferry terminals for years, especially during Eid rush, but no more.

“I think the crowd of visitors would become thinner in coming days as the enthusiasm and excitement will decrease. We will see passenger and cargo vehicles only playing the bridge,” he said.

The authorities and law enforcement agency personnel were seen struggling to control the crowds on the bridge as many visitors crossed the bridge on foot while many got off their vehicles to take photos, selfies and videos.

To prevent any untoward incident in future, the Cabinet Division on Sunday evening in a notification said stopping vehicles, walking around, and taking pictures on Padma Bridge are completely prohibited and punishable offences, and urged all to maintain the restrictions.

The bridge authorities also asked Bangladesh Army’s engineering support and safety team to strengthen vigilance on the upper deck and both ends.

Later in the evening, in a surprise turn of events, the authorities also banned motorcycles on the bridge after an accident left two people injured. The ban will be in effect from 6am Monday until further notice.

Meanwhile, the south-bound and Dhaka-bound vehicles experienced a significantly shorter travel time for the first time in their lives because of the bridge.

Crossing Padma Bridge Sunday, 35 cargo trucks — carrying raw materials of fruits, dried chillies, stones, ceramic and cosmetics — reached Dhaka from Satkhira’s Bhomra Land Port in only five and a half hours.

Earlier, trucks had to travel for 7-10 hours to reach the capital city after crossing the might Padma through the Paturia ferry terminal.

Traders hailed the development, saying the bridge has ended their longstanding suffering.

Staff and passengers of several buses said they reached Barishal in little over four hours, including the time spent crossing the three bridges on the way road to Padma Bridge.

Vehicles coming from Barishal had to wait less time than those coming from Dhaka as at the Mawa end, there was a huge queue of vehicles with enthusiastic visitors who waited there since Saturday night until the bridge opened at 6am.

Despite that, the journey was shorter than the Paturia route as the Mawa route is 100 kilometres shorter. It takes a maximum of 10 minutes for a vehicle to cross the Padma Bridge.

An Elish Paribahan bus was the first to reach Barishal terminal from Dhaka’s Sayedabad on Sunday, said its driver Enamul Haque. “We needed only four and a half hours. The travel time will be shorter in future once the crowds of visitors reduce.”

Md Shipu was the first to drive a Barishal-bound truck on the bridge on Sunday. He said the truckers are happy as they are the most affected victims of ferry services.

“Police and BIWTA officials at Mawa, Kathalbari and Paturia ferry terminals made the truckers wait for two to three days. We had to eat and sleep in the truck’s cabin. Raw products like vegetables, fruits, fishes we carried perished as we waited for days. That will now just be a bad memory,” he added.

“I’m very happy. I would like to thank Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the bottom of my heart for making this dream come true,” said a beaming Shipu.

Md Ashique was the first to drive an ambulance on the bridge. Talking to reporters, he said, “Time is crucial for the patients I carry. Many patients have died in my ambulance while waiting on the river bank to get on a ferry. This bridge will literally save lives.”

Meanwhile, at around 8pm, thousands of vehicles were seen waiting at the bridge’s toll plazas on both ends, creating a three-kilometre-long gridlock.

Vehicular movement was slowed down on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway to reduce the pressure at the Mawa toll plaza.

From the Shariatpur end, due to the tailback, motorcycles were taking over 30 minutes to cross the toll plaza and enter the bridge, while larger vehicles were taking longer.

Many locals on both ends, since walking on the bridge is prohibited, have demanded the introduction of shuttle buses for them to allay their suffering.