Despite the extra pressure of Dhaka-bound people on roads and ferry ghats following the Eid-ul-Fitr vacation, the government is not considering resuming long-distance public transport anytime soon.
The decision was taken to curb the second wave of Covie-19 and the spread of the Indian variant of the coronavirus across the country.
This issue was discussed at the cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.
Following the meeting, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said: “There is a recommendation to continue the suspension of long-distance buses, trains and launches for several more days.”
“The next few days are very important for us. It is also recommended that Bangladesh’s border with India be kept closed till the coronavirus situation in India becomes normal,” added the health minister.
Also Read: Transport owners, workers call for resumption of long-haul services
Regarding the issue, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said: “We have to wait seven more days before a resumption of public transports.”
The Directorate General of Health Services has suggested that those who left Dhaka before Eid should return after at least 14 days.
People who left Dhaka before the Eid vacation in defiance of government orders forbidding their going home for Eid would have to return the same way in which they had left the capital, some top government officials told this newspaper.
“Now the government is focusing on [preventing a spread of] the Indian variant of coronavirus as it is more deadly. Already this variant has entered the country and so we have to be more cautious. It is good news that West Bengal in India has also imposed a complete lockdown for 14 days,” said a cabinet minister on condition of anonymity.
“I do not think public transport for longer routes will resume anytime soon,” the minister added.
Meanwhile, transport owners and workers have already demanded a stimulus package from the government to recover their losses, as public transports have been immobile since April 5.
Only emergency services vehicles, vehicles carrying essential goods such as fuel, medicines, perishables, relief items, newspapers and garment products, were allowed to operate.
Also Read: Pressure of Dhaka-bound people mounts on ferry terminals
Later the government decided to allow public transport services on a limited scale from May 6.
Following this decision, only intra-city and intra-district buses are currently running to transport passengers. Homebound people of the middle level and lower middle level income groups used these services before Eid vacation to go to their destinations.
Now, since the Eid vacation is over, a large number of passengers, mostly from the southern districts, are boarding the ferries plying the Daulatdia-Paturia and Shimulia-Banglabazar routes to return to Dhaka.
About 17-18 ferries are operating on the Shimulia-Banglabazar route, according to Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) sources.
At the Daulatdia ferry terminal the scene was a little different. Despite there being ferries at the wharfs there was lack of management and people had to constantly run from one wharf to the other.
At both the ghats there were queues of goods-laden vehicles at the terminals, but many commuters suffered due to a lack of public transports.
They have had to pay exorbitant fares for using alternative vehicles like CNG- and battery-run auto-rickshaws, motorcycles or pickup vans to reach Dhaka since buses are not operating due to government restrictions.