The government has decided to allow people to use personal cars and microbuses to leave Dhaka for Eid holiday.
However, all public transport services will remain suspended during this time.
A verbal instruction regarding the matter was given to police by the government on Thursday.
Amid the nationwide lockdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the standing directives are that people should stay in place during the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday.
But ignoring all this, people are returning to their village homes by various means to celebrate Eid with their loved ones, turning a deaf ear on the directives.
Now, those who have their own transport such as a microbus or a private car can go to their village homes this Eid, and will not face any obstacles.
The government instructions said those who wanted to go to their villages were facing difficulties travelling, and would be allowed to use their own mode of transportation.
Deputy Commissioner (Mirpur division) Mostak Ahmed of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said they had received instructions that anyone can enter or leave Dhaka in microbuses and private cars - that is, their own transport.
People can also walk back to their villages if they wish to do so, he added.
There are checkposts to ensure that public transport remains barred and people are discouraged from using freight vehicles as passengers, the DC added.
Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, director general of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said RAB would take measures to ensure no public transport is in operation during the Eid holiday.
Asked about the risks of Covid-19 transmission during Eid rush, the RAB chief said it would be safer as people would use their own transport.
Earlier on March 26, the government shut down public transport services, as a countrywide “general holiday” was declared to contain Covid-19 outbreak.
About Thursday’s directives, the Road Transport Department said legal action would be taken against those who are transporting passengers in freight vehicles.
The government said the directive would remain effective until the end of the general holiday on May 30. Also, other emergency vehicles will be strictly controlled.
Police also said the entry and exit points of Dhaka would be strictly monitored.
Meanwhile, at a press conference on Tuesday, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed said people headed home were creating obstacles at ferry terminals and steps would be taken to send them back to Dhaka.
With Eid nearing, there is a rush of people on the roads. People from Dhaka, Gazipur, and surrounding districts have started going back to their villages.
On Thursday, 13 people were killed in an accident at Palashbari in Gaibandha, while they were returning to their village homes on a truck loaded with steel rods.
