Ferry mounts, damages Sinohydro dredger

A dredger of Sinohydro Corporation got damaged after a ferry mounted it around 10:00am yesterday although ferry service along the Shimulia-Kawrakandi route was supposed to be suspended for five days beginning 6:00am to dredge the Padma river.

On why the ferry service was running despite the shipping ministry's suspension order, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Assistant General Manager Ashiquzzaman told The Daily Star that it was to ferry the vehicles arriving on Thursday night.

The water current has pushed the ferry, Kusumkoli, onto the dredger, said Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Executive Engineer Sultan Ahmed Khan.

It was a "slight" damage and BIWTC will bear the repair costs, said Ashiquzzaman. He, however, could not estimate the cost.

The dredger of the Chinese company, which is also conducting the river training for the Padma bridge project, started working on the route from September 1. Another seven of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority has been working since July 19.