Dhaka’s roads remained largely free of traffic on Saturday, the third day of the Eid-ul-Azha holidays, offering residents a rare break from the capital’s chronic congestion.
While some people have already begun returning to work after celebrating Eid with their families, many others are still staying outside the city as one more day of the government holiday remains. As a result, traffic volume across the capital was significantly lower than on a typical working day.
After visiting to various parts of the capital city, it was found that noticeably fewer vehicles on major roads and intersections, with virtually no traffic jams. The lighter traffic enabled commuters to travel across the city in considerably less time than usual.
Despite the quieter streets, residents remained busy with post-Eid activities, including disposing of sacrificial animal waste, preserving and distributing meat, and visiting relatives. Many also went out for leisure, while a number of shops, restaurants and essential service providers continued operating.
Meanwhile, inspections of key highways and bus terminals leading into Dhaka on Saturday morning found passenger movement to be normal despite the ongoing holiday period. Buses arriving from districts such as Mymensingh, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Kishoreganj and Kapasia in Gazipur carried regular numbers of passengers, with no reports of overcrowding or lengthy waits.
Eid-ul-Azha was celebrated across the country on Thursday, prompting millions of people to leave the capital to spend the festival with their families.
The government declared a six-day Eid holiday from May 26 to 31 and also announced an additional holiday on May 25 through an executive order to ease holiday travel. The extended seven-day break for government employees and many private-sector workers has kept a large number of residents outside Dhaka, preserving the holiday calm across the capital.