A new record has been set for the number of vehicles crossing the Bangabandhu Bridge during this year’s Eid travels amid the lockdown during the pandemic, said the bridge authorities.
In the last 24 hours from 6am on Tuesday to 6am on Wednesday, 51,942 vehicles of different types have crossed the Bangabandhu Bridge, which is the highest since its inauguration.
Meanwhile, this large number of vehicles have raised a toll Tk2.73 crore.
Last year’s Eid-ul-Azha saw a maximum of 49,039 vehicles crossing in 24 hours.
This huge number of vehicles has caused a congestion across 30 kilometres of the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge Highway.
The traffic jam stretched from Korotia of Tangail sadar upazila to the east end of Bangabandhu Bridge since Wednesday morning.
Homegoers on trucks, pickups and motorcycles have been suffering due to this traffic jam.
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Many passengers on foot are crowding the Korotia, Tangail Bypass, Elenga, Shalla and Hatia areas of the highway and are getting on any vehicle they can find empty due to fear of a police check post.
Travelling in a congested way is increasing the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
Also, these homebound people are paying four to five times more fare.
Meanwhile, there is pressure of vehicles and passengers in Chandra, Gorai, Mirzapur and Deohata areas. Most of them are from different districts of the north.
A few passengers including Johnny, Ripon, Salam said the garment factories were off.
“No matter how hard it is and no matter how much the fare is, we have to go home, because celebrating with family brings out the joy of Eid,” he added.
Yasir Arafat, officer in-charge of Elenga Highway Police Outpost, said that the vehicles were moving very slowly in the Tangail section as there was a congestion on the east side of Bangabandhu Bridge due to the large number of vehicles. However, it will become normal as the day progresses.
Police are working relentlessly in every situation on the highway, he added.