STOPPING FERRY BOATS Sheikh Hasina was having midday day meal at the official residence at 29, Minto Road. I jointed in. She said, “I had not been to Tungipara2. Let’s go their tomorrow. Ask Inland Water Transport Authority (IWTA) to make arrangement for special ferryboats.” I asked, “What route would you take my leader? Aricha or Mawa? “Aricha route is a long one. Mawa is shorter. I will take the later route,” she replied. Now, Aricha route had only one ferry crossing (The service is supported by a large number of good ferryboats). Mawa route involved river crossings at three points each having a limited number of boats. Making arrangement for special ferries meant withdrawing of boats from regular service for the exclusive use of the VlP. A boat is released only after a particular VIP had used it. I argued: if you choose Mawa route, then special ferries will have to be arranged at three different river crossings. It will result in huge traffic congestion and people will suffer a great deal. It is better to take Aricha route. The leader was unconvinced. “Should I stop traveling by road if there is an occasional, traffic congestion," she replied. I left the following day at 7 N.M. with my wile and daughter. My plan was to join her at Buriganga Bridge. Having reached there I waited for a while. As I did not see the leader coming. I drove to the next ferry station at the Dhaleshwari. There was a special police contingent on duty for escorting Sheikh Hasina to cross the river. The notional hag was fluttering in the breeze atop a special ferry withdrawn form the normal service. Traffic congestion had already begun. But there was no sign of the leader’s arrival. We managed to cross the river eventually. At Bhanga, we saw the leader coming from the directions of Aricha. We joined the entourage. At Gopalgonj Circuit House, where Sheikh Hasina had stopped for a while, she disclosed the reasons for changing her mind. “Dhaka-Aricha is much better road”, she said. But you could have informed the police and the IWTA officials. As they did not know about the change of plan, ferry service remained severely restricted causing considerable suffering to the people. Oh that? You should not worry if they idle away a few hours on the road Most people are without jobs anyway. Amar Fashi Chai Freedom Fighter Motiur Rahman Rentu
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:28:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015