Munshiganj: Ferry services on the Shimulia-Kewrakandi route will remain suspended for five days from 11 to 15 September for dredging works on the route.

The decision came from a meeting of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at the Shipping Ministry on Wednesday, said Jahangir Alam, public relations officer of the ministry.

The water transport owners and drivers were asked to use alternative routes during the suspension of the ferry services.

BIWTC stopped its Ro Ro ferry operations on 20 August due to poor navigability at Louhajang turning point on the route.

Only three small ferries have been kept in service on the route since then.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Executive Engineer (Dredging) Sultan Ahmed Khan said they would use eight dredgers from the Padma Bridge project to remove silt from the channel.