The pressure of vehicles carrying holidaymakers on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha has increased on the country's highways.
As the official Eid holidays began on Tuesday, thousands of Dhaka residents left the city for village homes to spend the five-day break with their loved ones.
In Gazipur, an increased pressure of vehicles was witnessed, especially on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways.
Vehicles were moving slowly at different points, including Chandana Chowrasta, Bhogra Bypass Intersection, Boardbazar and Gazipura.
Besides, slow movement of traffic was seen on the Dhaka-Tangail highway, the gateway to the northern districts from the capital.
Azizul Haque, officer-in-charge (OC) at Savar Highway police station, said that the situation on the highways was usual, but the pressure was due to increase as the day progressed.
Hossain Shahid, inspector (administration) at the Dhaka north traffic department, said that the number of vehicles carrying sacrificial animals is on the rise, and that has been creating pressure on the highways.
The Eid holidaymakers were crossing Manikganj's Paturia ferry terminal without hassle as the pressure of vehicles and passengers was relatively low at the terminal.
The terminal has seen a decrease in vehicles and passengers since the opening of the Padma Bridge.
Sacrificial animal-laden vehicles were also entering Dhaka, through the Daulatdia-Paturia route. A considerable number of motorcycles, along with passenger vehicles, were crossing the Padma River through ferries.
Many said that travelling through Padma Bridge has reduced the duration of travel on the route, and their journey has become even more comfortable.
Superintendent of Police Golam Azad Khan said that all measures have been taken to facilitate the smooth movement of sacrificial animal-carrying trucks.
Police have been deployed at various points on the road to prevent any kind of extortion, he added.
On the contrary, a series of accidents, vehicle breakdowns, suspension of toll collection, and reckless driving have resulted in slow traffic movement along the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway.
The traffic congestion extended from the eastern side of Bangabandhu Bridge to Hatia in Kalihati upazila of Tangail in the morning.
According to the police, there were two collisions and one car breakdown on the Bangabandhu Bridge. As a result, toll collection on the bridge was temporarily halted, adding to the traffic congestion.
Our correspondents Ariful Islam Sabbir from Savar, Rashedul Hasan Kajol from Faridpur, Motiur Rahman from Manikganj, and Abdullah Al Numan from Tangail contributed to the report
