During the Eid-ul-Azha holidays, there has been an overwhelming surge of travelers using the Benapole land port to go to India.
Over the last three days, passenger traffic nearly tripled, with 22,891 people crossing between the two countries.
However, many passengers alleged that they faced significant hardships at Petrapole immigration due to mismanagement.
Travelers with passports move between the countries for various reasons including tourism, business, and medical purposes.
According to immigration data, the number of travelers crossing through the Benapole port during the Eid holidays has reached a record high, tripling compared to normal times.
Due to the heavy passenger load, travelers had to endure long queues and significant delays at both countries' immigration points, with Petrapole immigration being particularly problematic according to passenger complaints.
Benapole immigration sources reported that from Wednesday to Friday, a total of 22,891 passport holders traveled between the two countries.
Among them, 15,052 entered India from Bangladesh, while 7,839 traveled from India to Bangladesh. It is expected that several thousand more passengers will travel to India before the end of the Eid holidays.
On-site at the Benapole-Petrapole no-man's land, a traveler named Palash shared his experience: "I am going to India with my family to celebrate Eid. We have been standing in line for three hours in the scorching heat. The officers are working very slowly, which is taking a lot of time. I don't know how much longer it will take."
Another traveler, Golam Mostafa, complained: "It only took a few minutes to complete the immigration process on the Bangladesh side, but I have been standing for over two hours at Petrapole no-man's land. I don't know when I will enter the immigration office."
Benapole Immigration Checkpost Officer-in-Charge (OC) Azharul Islam said: " Normally, the number averages around 4,500 passengers per day. This time, a record number of travelers have crossed, most of them going to India for travel and medical purposes due to the long Eid holidays."
Regarding the issues at Petrapole, he said: "We are in constant contact with the OC at Petrapole. We are urging them to reduce the passengers' suffering.
“They have informed us that the delay is not due to immigration but because of the BSF's security checks. Despite this, senior officials are being urged to improve passenger services," he added.