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Tourist boat movement banned near Padma Bridge after 6pm

Published : Thursday, 29 October, 2026 at 10:34 AM

Observer Online Report

Collected Photo

The local administration has imposed a restriction on tourist boat trips and river travel around the Shimulia Ghat and adjoining areas near the Mawa end of the Padma Bridge after 6:00PM to curb accidents and ensure public safety.

Louhajang Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Farzana Bobi Mitu announced the directive on Wednesday (October 28) following a comprehensive inspection of river safety around pillars 3, 4, and 5 of the Padma Bridge and the adjacent Shimulia Ghat area.

Official sources noted that thousands of tourists visit the Padma Bridge and Shimulia Ghat daily, with many opting to hire engine-run trawlers or speedboats to navigate close to the bridge pillars, while others venture into dangerous stretches of the river to bathe, creating severe safety risks.

The move follows a series of drowning incidents, with four major accidents recorded in the area over the past three years. Most recently, on Monday (October 26), two out of eight corporate workers went missing while bathing near pillar number 4, with their bodies subsequently retrieved by rescue teams on Tuesday (October 27) and Wednesday (October 28).

Under the new safety guidelines, the movement of all tourist-carrying vessels will remain prohibited after 6:00PM, alongside heightened surveillance across the waterways to enforce compliance.

During the inspection, administrative authorities initiated steps to install prominent warning billboards across high-risk shoals and pillar zones, while announcing plans to enhance loudspeaker announcements and step up patrols by Tourist Police and Naval Police.

Officials from the Upazila Administration, Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), Naval Police, and Tourist Police accompanied the UNO during the drive.

The local administration urged all visitors to adhere strictly to safety directives and refrain from stepping into hazardous zones of the river.

-EM

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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