Every day, tens of thousands of people are leaving Dhaka to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha in their native villages with family and relatives, amid concerns about traffic jams on the highways and a new wave of Covid-19 infections.
Although homegoing started officially on Tuesday, the majority of travellers left the capital city on Thursday – the last working day before Eid – braving the soaring mercury.
Till the filing of this report last night, the highways saw normal to medium range of traffic, except for a long tailback on the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge Highway.
There was a heavy passenger rush at Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka, but many of the trains – particularly those heading to the north – were delayed by one to three hours.
The Sadarghat Launch Terminal, owever, was emptier than usual as more and more passengers are preferring to travel to the southwest regions through the recently-inaugurated Padma Bridge, which cuts travel time significantly.
Highway situation
People rushing to get on the bus to celebrate Eid with the family Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneMiles-long tailbacks were reported from Tangail as thousands of people were heading for their village homes in the north, using the Bangabandhu Bridge to cross the Jamuna River.
In the morning, the gridlock stretched from the eastern end of the bridge.
Passengers, mainly the elderly, women and children, suffered from being stuck in buses and other modes of transport for hours due to the scorching sun.
Local police have blamed unfit vehicles for the traffic jams during Eid.
In a bid to control traffic, the police turned the two-lane road from Elenga to Bangabandhu Bridge into a one-way road.
Babu Mia, a truck driver from Dinajpur, said that he got stuck in traffic in Nalka area in Sirajganj around 8pm on Wednesday and was able to reach Kalihati’s Jokar Char area in Tangail at 7am on Thursday.
According to Bangabandhu Bridge East Police OC Shafiqul Islam, some vehicles without fitness broke down on the road, causing the tailback.
In Gazipur, traffic movement increased significantly on Thursday evening following the closure of factories. This district is a transit point for Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways, and houses several million workers.
An additional 200 police personnel were deployed at the Chandra point of Gazipur to reduce traffic jams and ensure a secure journey for home-goers.
Three unfinished flyovers in Gazipur's Naujor and Shafipur areas and Gorai of Tangail’s Mirzapur area were opened to traffic to ease the northbound Eid rush, said Salna Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Firoz Hossain.
Although traffic was moving at a snail’s pace on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, no tailbacks or gridlocks were reported in Narayanganj, Comilla or Chittagong.
Traffic movement was normal at Signboard, Chittagong Road, Madanpur and Mograpara intersections in Narayanganj, but passengers alleged that bus operators were charging higher than usual ticket prices.
Kanchpur Highway Police OC Nobir Hossain said there was no traffic gridlock on Thursday.
Around 300 traffic policemen alongside mobile teams were deployed at different locations to ensure a safe and comfortable journey for Eid travelers, he added.
Traffic movement on the 105km highway in Comilla that stretches from Daudkandi toll booth to Feni was normal. However, transports carrying sacrificial cattle, and passengers were higher on the highway.
Superintendent of Police of Comilla regional highway Rahmat Ullah said a quick response team had been formed and additional wreckers deployed on the highway to remove vehicles facing any accidents at the earliest.
At the same time, construction work on the highway was suspended in the interest of a smooth journey, he added.
In Chittagong, all maintenance works on the highway were halted on July 6 to allow homebound passengers to arrive at their destinations on time and safely, said Chittagong Roads and Highways Department Executive Engineer Pintu Chakma.
Moreover, standby teams were ready to offer emergency assistance on the highways, he added.
Trains delayed
Trains are overpopulated with home returning passengers Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneDhaka’s Kamalapur Railway Station witnessed a mad rush of passengers on Thursday, but many trains missed the schedule.
As of noon, Sundarbans, Nilsagar, Dhumketu, Rangpur Express, Titas Commuter, Ekota Express and Agnibeena Express were delayed by between one and three hours.
Station Manager Mohammad Masud Sarwar said trains to the northern districts had been delayed due to various reasons.
He cited the removal of passengers from the roofs, adding that additional coaches were among the few reasons behind the delay.
A total of 39 trains, including two special trains, had been scheduled to leave Dhaka for different districts on Thursday.
No rush at launch, ferry terminals
The launch service is still a way for many to return home to celebrate Eid with Family Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneThe Sadarghat Launch Terminal has lost much of its appeal since the opening of the Padma Bridge linking the 21 districts in the southwest of the country with the northern and eastern regions.
The terminal was emptier than usual in the morning with no vessels heading for longer distances and no homebound passengers.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority’s Dhaka Regional Director Mamun-ur-Rashid said the number of passengers was expected to increase upon the closure of the garment factories.
Many low-income people still preferred launch services, he added.
On the other hand, all of the 87 launches operating from Mawa Terminal to Kathalbari and Zajira route were suspended due to a lack of passengers, according to Transport Inspector Md Solaiman.
Ferry services were also suspended at Shimulia Ferry Terminal due to a crisis of vehicles and navigability issues.
But the terminal’s Manager (Commercial) Mohammad Faisal said the ferries would be operated if there were any emergency situation.
Meanwhile, passengers faced no suffering at the Aricha-Paturia ferry route. Since motorcycles have been banned from plying from one district to another, as many as 3,500 motorcycles were transported by ferries in 24 hours till Thursday morning.
Moreover, around 6,500 other vehicles, including buses and goods-laden trucks, used the ferry transport system, according to Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation’s Aricha area office Deputy General Manager (Commercial) Shah M Khaled Newaz.
Our correspondents Shamima Rita from Narayanganj, Pimple Barua from Chittagong, Raihanul Islam Akhand from Gazipur, Motiur Rahman from Manikganj, Masud Alam from Comilla, and Abdullah Al Noman from Tangail contributed to this report
