The ferry terminals at Mawa, Daulatdia and Paturia face the prospect of being swept away by strong currents of the flood-swollen Padma and Jamuna Rivers, which may pose problems for multitude of passengers traveling home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, sources in the shipping ministry said.

Against this backdrop, the government has prohibited the plying of all sand carrying bulkheads from August 28 to September 5 to ensure smooth journey for passengers during the Eid holidays.

Besides, ferries have been prohibited from carrying trucks and covered vans except those transporting cattle and essential goods three days prior to and three days after Eid.

Talking to The Independent yesterday, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) chairman Commodore M Mozammel Huq said, “We are ready to face any unwanted situation. We hope there will be no problem at the Mawa and Kathalbari ferry terminals, but the ones at Paturia and Daulatdia are at risk. We have setup two more ghats at Pauria.”

“We are estimating that around 20 lakh people will take the waterways to travel to their homes during the Eid holidays,” he added. The BIWTA chairman said the holidaymakers can easily travel through Paturia and Daulatdia before Eid, but they may face some problems during their return trips as there are chances of the terminals being flooded then.

Huq also warned of stern action against launch owners if they were found to charge extra fare and pick up passengers from small boats in middle of the river after setting sail from Sadarghat terminal.

“There will be mobile courts at the ferry terminals to curb realization of extra fare from passengers and over loading. Besides, several vigilance teams will monitor the activities in the terminal areas,” he said.

Huq informed that all the launch owners have been directed to retain the photos, mobile numbers and national identity photocopies of the passengers traveling on their vessels.

According to the BIWTA chairman, areas from Sadarghat to Bahadurshah Park would be kept free of hawkers and traffic jam to ensure smooth movement of the passengers.

RAB, police and volunteers will be deployed to maintain law and order in these areas, he added. Additional dustbins would be installed in and around the Sadarghat terminal to maintain cleanliness. Huq also urged passengers not to dump their wastes into rivers.