Barishal ferry terminal brim with Eid rush

Call it the Eid travel rush at the Barishal ferry terminal, as hundreds of people have begun travelling to their hometowns to celebrate the festival.

Some 23 ferries have been anchored at the Barishal terminal since Friday midnight as authorities have started special services for Eid holidays.

On Thursday, each of these ferries carried 4,000 passengers from Dhaka to Barishal, according to the terminal authorities.

According to the authorities, Rajarhat B was the first vessel to reach Barishal from the capital's Sadarghat around 1am, followed by Royal Cruise, Pubali 7, Farhan 7, Manami, Red Sun, Parbat 10, Prince Awlad 10, Kuakata 2, Sundarban 11 and Surovi 8.

Mostafizur Rahman, joint director of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transportation Authority (BIWTA), said, "We did not receive any complaint from the passengers on the first day as their ferry journey was smooth."

"However, we are conducting checks and warning ferries against carrying passengers beyond their capacity," he said.

Subah Jahan, a passenger, said, "I didn't face much trouble while travelling. I am happy as I could not visit my hometown even once in two years of the pandemic."

However, Afsana Rumpa, another commuter, said, "Though I faced some issues during the journey, it didn't matter as I have reached my home district."

Selim Mohammad Sheikh, deputy commissioner of Barishal Metropolitan Police, said some 40 members of the traffic department have been deployed for ensuring safe return of the passengers."