The under-construction ramp of the Rayenda ferry terminal on the bank of the Baleshwar river in Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat. Photo: Collected

A ferry service that is scheduled to be launched on the Baleshwar river in December this year -- connecting Sharankhola upazila in Bagerhat with Mathbaria upazila in Pirojpur -- is likely to usher in a new era of communications and economic activities in surrounding upazilas of the two districts and beyond.

As part of the initiative, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is spending Tk 1.98 crore to construct a new ferry terminal on the bank of the river in Rayenda area of Sharankhola upazila.

The construction work on the terminal has started in March, with the target of completing its ramp to the pontoon by October this year.

Once the new terminal is complete, ferries operated on the route -- between Rayenda in Sharankhola and Baramachhua terminal in Mathbaria -- will enable as many as 25 thousand people to cross the river every day with ease, said Farid Uddin, executive engineer of RHD in Bagerhat.

Enthusiastic locals said people on both sides of the river will benefit immensely from the ferry services as ambulance, public transport and all sorts of other vehicles will be able to operate across the river.

Kamal Hossain, a trader by profession, said he spends from Tk 150 to Tk 300 each day on boat fare as he needs to travel back and forth between his home in Sharankhola and his business place in Mathbaria.

The ferry services will save time and money especially for frequent travellers like him, he also said.

Ashaduzzaman Milon, chairman of Rayenda Union Parishad in Sharankhola upazila, hoped that improved road communications with the help of the ferry services between Rayenda and Baramachhua will flourish rural economies in the region. 

Easier and affordable ferry services over the Baleshwar river will benefit residents of Bagerhat, Pirojpur and Barguna, said Executive Engineer Farid Uddin of Bagerhat RHD.