Transport companies are allegedly taking advantage of the mad rush, as holidaymakers head home for Eid-ul-Azha, by overcharging passengers for tickets, as they do every Eid.
Large numbers of people were seen looking for tickets at the Sayedabad, Mohakhali, and Gabtoli inter-district bus terminals, as well as the Kamalapur Railway Station, early on Friday.
Many passengers claimed that they were forced to pay upto double the regular fare for travelling on the road and river routes. Meanwhile, a number of people travelling by trains said they faced significant hassle obtaining tickets online, and had to turn to the black market.
Ariful Rahman, who was travelling from Jatrabai to Kishoreganj, said the regular bus fare on the route is around Tk250, but bus owners are now charging up to Tk500.
“We have no choice but to pay the extra money,” he said.
Jamini Kishore Roy said he bought a bus ticket for travelling from Gazipur to Nilphamari at Tk1,200, whereas it normally costs between Tk500-600.
Ashif Islam, a launch passenger, said he booked a single cabin for Tk1,225, which was Tk225 more than the regular fare.
He claimed that some of the other passengers on the launch were charged Tk500-700 extra for tickets.
During a visit to Gabtoli bus terminal on Friday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the authorities will not tolerate the charging of exorbitant prices for travelling on land routes.
Regarding allegations that the state-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) was also overcharging for tickets, Quader said, action will be taken against the BTRC officials concerned, if they are found to be guilty.
The minister further said, Eid journey should be smooth for most people.
“Traffic on the highways has been smooth, but there have been some problems on the Paturia-Daulatdia ferry route. There is a strong current in the Padma river in the section from Mawa to Jazira, and this has disrupted ferry services,” he added.
Ferry services on the Shimulia-Kathalbari route was halted due to bad weather from Thursday morning to early Friday, causing immense suffering for passengers.
Although vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Chittagong, and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways were quite smooth, the Dhaka-Aricha and Dhaka-Mawa routes saw significant tailbacks.
A 100-km tailback was reported on the Dhaka-Tangail highway on Friday morning.
Dhaka's rail link with the northern region restored after 3hrs
Rail communications between Dhaka and the northern regions of the country were restored at 4:30pm on Friday, three hours after an intercity train derailed in Tangail.
Due to the incident, the Dhumketu Express, Ekota Express, Nil Sagar Express, and other trains were temporarily stranded at various stations.
Train schedule collapses continue
A number of trains that travel to and from Kamalapur Railway Station saw a schedule collapse on Friday, as it has over the past few days. Many trains coming from northern districts were up to five hours behind schedule when they reached Dhaka.
The Rajshahi-bound Dhumketu Express was supposed to leave Dhaka at 6am on Friday, but it reached the station at around 10:15am.
Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said, the situation is likely to continue until completion of the construction of double lane on the Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge in Sirajganj.
