With garment factories in Gazipur beginning their Eid holidays, the Dhaka-Tangail highway at Chandra is seeing growing crowds of homebound travelers.
The added pressure from livestock carriers and public transport has slowed traffic, though no major congestion has been reported.
Still, passengers face a transport shortage, and many worry about fare hikes later in the day.
Although vehicles are moving slowly in stretches, the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway remains relatively normal. This situation was observed Thursday (June 5) from around 11am in Gazipur’s Kaliakoir area.
The Chandra, Nabinagar, Chandra Chowrasta, and Chandra-Mirzapur segments—about 20 kilometers in total—are seeing intermittent traffic. Travelers heading to 17 northern districts through this route often suffer delays during Eid or long holidays. Many fear that by afternoon, a surge in passengers will worsen the transport shortage, allowing bus owners and drivers to charge extra fares. To avoid this, some are risking travel by motorcycle, pickup, or trucks to reach home.
Gazipur has 2,176 registered factories, including 1,154 garment factories, employing hundreds of thousands. According to Additional IGP of Highway Police Delwar Hossain Miah, 4,000 police officers, along with army, BGB, and RAB personnel, are working to ensure a smooth Eid journey despite rain. He urged caution in 285 accident-prone zones and at 67 spots with potholes.
Though crowd levels are high in Tongi, Bhogra Bypass, Chandana Chowrasta, and Chandra, no major gridlocks have been observed. Authorities are monitoring to prevent overcharging and ensure a smooth journey.
Passenger voices
Mominul Islam from Kurigram, traveling with his family, said they started early from Tongi to avoid afternoon rush and so far faced no extra fares or traffic jams—only slow movement.
Zainal Abedin from Lalmonirhat said his factory had already paid bonuses, so he took early leave to beat the expected afternoon traffic and fare hikes.
Mymensingh’s Sabdar Ali and his wife Renuka Begum said they felt hopeful of reaching home comfortably, though they expect pressure to increase after 3 PM.
Humayun Kabir from Nandail praised his factory for releasing workers with pay early in the morning and thanked authorities for the manageable traffic.
Highway police officials confirmed increased deployment and monitoring. Chandra Highway OC Shawkatul Alam said no formal complaints of overcharging had been received but warned of immediate action if any arise.