A year ago, ferries could go from the capital to the 21 districts of the southwestern region. During the two Eids, traffic jams continued due to the pressure of extra vehicles, which caused great suffering to the public.
The danger was even in winter, the ferry was closed all night due to thick fog. Besides, there was a fear of launch accidents during the rainy season.
People of 21 districts of Greater Jessore, Khulna, Kushtia, Barisal and Faridpur are reaching the heart of the capital in 1 to 4 hours after the opening of Padma Bridge.
Where earlier it used to take three days to go to work in Dhaka, now one can leave for Dhaka early in the morning, finish the day’s work and go home in the evening car. And the people of south-western region can eat mother’s or beloved wife’s cooking after returning home at night.
One such person is Masud Hossain. Masud, a fishmonger from Jessore’s Jhikargacha, brought fish at 4 am on June 24 (Saturday) to sell in the capital’s wholesale market. At 3:30 in the afternoon, he said that he had sold the fish by 1 in the afternoon and received the money. Do some shopping in the capital and leave for home in a hired pickup van at 6pm.
He also said that earlier it took 8-9 hours to reach the capital. Couldn’t go back to work. Additional food and lodging expenses were incurred. Due to the Padma Bridge, all expenses have been reduced.
Inauguration of Padma Bridge and toll collection
After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Padma Bridge on June 25, 2022, till June 7 of this month, tolls have been collected to the tune of seven hundred eighty eight crore eight hundred and fifty taka.
Those concerned say that if the toll is collected in this way, the construction cost will rise in the next 30 years. On the other hand, if the toll is collected at a rate of more than 10 percent every year, then the construction cost of Padma Bridge will rise within 20 to 22 years.
Animal traders are also getting benefits on Qurbani Eid
According to the toll plaza at the Jazira end of the Padma Bridge, since the morning, trucks carrying animals of sacrifice have been crossing the Padma Bridge, the number of which is
Talking to the traders, it is known that after the opening of the Padma Bridge, there is no problem in going to Dhaka with sacrificial animals. But before the bridge opened, we had to sit at the wharf for hours waiting to board the ferry. Sometimes we had to turn back without being able to cross the ferry. There have been many cases of cows dying in hot weather due to being stuck in the ghat for a long time.
