Leased ferry ghat road disrupts river flow, locals forced to pay toll year-round

A road built across Tangail’s Banshi River at a leased ferry ghat is disrupting monsoon flow, while residents continue paying tolls, sparking environmental and regulatory concerns among locals and experts.

A road built across the Banshi River at a leased ferry crossing in Tangail is obstructing the river’s natural flow during the monsoon while residents are still being charged tolls to cross, according to local people and officials.

The crossing, known as Patharghata ferry ghat, links Patharghata village in Tarfapur union of Mirzapur upazila on the eastern bank with Singardak village in Basail upazila on the western side. Each fiscal year, the district council leases out the ghat.

Local residents said the ghat has for several years been run by Ibrahim Khan, a businessman and member of the Mirzapur upazila unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. This year, the lease was taken in the name of his younger brother Suman Khan. The district council awarded the lease to Suman Khan for 732,000 taka for the current year.

During a visit to Patharghata ferry ghat on Tuesday afternoon, both ends of the road built by the leaseholder were seen still raised above the water, while river water was flowing over the middle section. Passengers were being ferried across by a shallow engine-driven boat.

Mintu Mia, who was overseeing passenger crossings, said water had returned to the river 15 to 20 days ago and passengers had since been transported by boat. In the dry season, he said, a road is built across the river to allow people and vehicles to cross. Even then, tolls are collected at the same rates as for boat crossings. He said he and others had been collecting tolls under the supervision of Ibrahim Khan for several years.

Residents said the river usually dries up completely around November and December. At that point, the leaseholders build a road through the riverbed. They said pedestrians are charged 10 taka, CNG-run autorickshaws and battery-run autorickshaws 30 taka, and jeeps, taxis and microbuses between 100 and 150 taka. Even after the dry season ends and water returns to the river, the road is not cut away, they said. They added that the leaseholders have also built a permanent concrete culvert in the river for the road.

Azim Uddin, a resident of Singardak village, said a road is built across the river for three to four months every dry season to allow people to cross. Another resident, Abul Kashem, said even when people walk across the dry riverbed they still have to pay 10 taka. No receipt is issued, he said.

Ibrahim Khan, who oversees operations at the ghat, said the road had been built by the contractor responsible for constructing a bridge there. He said the ghat is leased for a large amount of money and tolls are collected during the dry season to avoid losses.

Shahid Mahmood, general secretary of the Tangail district chapter of the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, said blocking a river with an embankment or building a road through it and disrupting water flow was wrong. It hampers the river’s natural course and damages biodiversity, he said, adding that it was an offence and that administrative officials should pay attention to the matter.

Rabiul Awal, a sub-divisional engineer at the Tangail Water Development Board, said that even if someone builds a road in the dry season for public convenience, it should be removed once the season of rising water begins. Under no circumstances should the natural course of a river be obstructed, he said.

Mirzapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khan Salman Habib said the matter would be looked into and necessary steps would be taken.