After a long wait, ferries and ferry services have officially started on the Chilmari-Raumari sea route in Kurigram. Along with that, the foundation stone of Chilmari river port development has also been laid.
State Minister of Shipping Ministry Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury inaugurated this program at Chilmari (Ramana) Ferry Ghat on Wednesday.
In a special gathering organized on this occasion, in the speech as the chief guest, the Minister of State for Shipping said that, "The contribution of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the development of the country cannot be taken away. For 15 years, BNP have been saying - they are throwing away the government; But they couldn`t. Bangladesh is moving forward".
When Minister of State for Primary and Mass Education Zakir Hossain raised the demand for reducing the ferry crossing fare, State Minister of Shipping Ministry Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said, `For the convenience of the public, the proposed fare has been reduced from Tk 660 to Tk 300 for CNG-powered baby taxis/autorickshaws and for motorcycles Tk 100 from Tk 220. Fare for bicycle reduced from Tk 120 taka to Tk 50. And for public proposed fare reduced from Tk 80 to Tk 50.
Apart from this, Shipping Ministry said that freedom fighters and ambulances will not be charged any fare, and in the case of other vehicles, the fare has been reduced by 15%.
"BIWTC `Kunjalta` ferry has started crossing on Chilmari-Raumari route. As a result, the suffering of the people of Roumari-Rajibpur upazila along the Brahmaputra river will be reduced in traveling to the district town. Besides, the communication between Dhaka and Kurigram will be much easier and the travel cost will be reduced. Later, one more ferry will be added to this route", said the state minister.
The length of Chilmari-Raumari waterway is 21 km. There will be two dredgers to maintain the navigability of the ferry route. BIWTA is trying to reduce the length of this road to 13-14 km through dredging.
On the other hand, the operation of Chilmari river port will end in December 2025. 235 crore will be spent on the development of this port.
