Residents who left Dhaka to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja have begun making their way back to the city, apparently to avoid tailbacks, any impending political gridlock, and to attend offices on Sunday.
Three gateways to the city Gabtoli bus terminal, Kamalapur railway station and Sadarghat launch terminal all saw a moderate number of people returning to Dhaka on Friday.
Most passengers said they wanted to avoid any unnecessary gridlocks on the highways, though some cited fears of imminent political turmoil since almost all the political parties had set programmes for October 25.
“The political situation is likely to worsen from October 25,” said Shariful Islam, an employee of Prime Bank.
“Moreover, I have to attend office on Sunday, and if I were to return Saturday, I would have faced huge traffic jams on the highways,” he said.
Bus operators at Gabtoli, however, told the Dhaka Tribune that the rush was yet to set in since the vacation will end for most Saturday.
“We are facing a regular crowd, but the rush will begin from Friday night. So far, no traffic jams have been reported on any of the routes,” Manjurul Alam, sales representative at Hanif Enterprise said.
Shyamoli Enterprise Counter Master, Abdullah Al Mamun said the rush of passengers would continue until Saturday.
Meanwhile, Kamalapur railway station saw a moderate flow of passengers.
“My family and I have returned today to avoid any political gridlock. There were no crowds at any of the stations and we have reached Kamalapur on time,” said Sheikh Erfanul Islam.
Station Manager at Kamalapur, Nripendra Saha told the Dhaka Tribune that they were yet to face any rush and was expecting it to start today.
“We have taken necessary preparations to handle the pressure. So far we have maintained all our schedules except a few delays in the northern zones,” he said.
At the Sadarghat launch terminal, many passengers were seen returning to Dhaka, but the launch operators also said the main crowd will arrive on Saturday.
