Workers and professionals from Savar and Ashulia industrial zones in Dhaka have started heading to their home districts after receiving leave from factories to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their families.
A heavy rush of homebound passengers was seen at major bus stands in Savar. However, intermittent heavy rainfall since morning caused inconvenience for travellers. In some areas, parked buses on highways also contributed to slower traffic movement, with pressure increasing further as the day progressed.
According to Ashulia Industrial Police-1 sources, there are a total of 1,705 industrial establishments in Savar, Ashulia and Dhamrai, including RMG and non-RMG factories.
By Monday afternoon, around 31% of factories had declared holidays, while another 47% closed on Tuesday afternoon. As a result, passenger pressure on roads increased significantly. The remaining factories are expected to close on Wednesday, which may further increase traffic pressure.
Officials said that until Tuesday afternoon, no major traffic congestion was reported on the Dhaka-Aricha and Nabinagar-Chandra highways under Savar. However, at several points, high passenger pressure and buses slowed down traffic movement.
By the afternoon, congestion intensified on the Dhaka-Aricha highway from Gabtoli to Hemayetpur, Aminbazar, Savar and Nabinagar, with travel time from Gabtoli to Nabinagar taking around three to three and a half hours.
Many travellers were seen using trucks and pickup vans as alternative transport.
Savar Highway Police OC Shahjahan Mia said vehicles are moving slowly in the Nabinagar bus stand area and Baipail, but no major gridlock has formed, and police are working to keep traffic under control.
Despite relatively smoother highway movement in some stretches, passengers continued to face suffering at bus counters due to alleged overcharging and delays in bus arrivals.
Passengers at Nabinagar and Baipayl bus stands complained that transport operators were demanding double or triple fares during Eid rush and, in many cases, buses were not arriving on time even after tickets were purchased.
Dhaka District (North) Traffic Police Inspector (Administration) Ruhul Amin Sohel said additional police deployment has been made to ensure smooth Eid travel, with around 650 extra personnel alongside regular traffic police, working in three shifts.
He added that special monitoring is in place to prevent extortion of extra fares, ensure traffic discipline around garment hubs, and stop unfit vehicles and wrong-way driving on highways.