AMIDST the collapsed train schedule, transport shortage and allegations of extra charges on buses, people are suffering most while returning after celebrating Eid to their workstations, particularly Dhaka. Most trains on northern routes were late by up to six hours. A huge number of Dhaka-bound people had to wait long hours at Paturia and Aricha ferry ghat areas due to the inadequate number of Dhaka-bound transports and three to four times higher rate of fares. Passengers were also seen travelling on roofs of trains and buses and even on pickup vans and microbuses on different routes violating the laws.
In most Dhaka-bound routes, buses are in a slow pace. Vehicles were running at a slow pace on Rajshahi-Dhaka and Bogura-Nagarbari Highways due to the mounting pressure of Dhaka-bound vehicles. Besides, the dismal road condition following low-quality repair works that left the road potholed. Like the journeys before Eid, the post-Eid return journeys on Saturday also saw trains on northern routes running late in reaching the city since Wednesday. Thousands of people reached Kamalapur railway station since morning by trains to join their respective workplaces yesterday.
Dhaka-bound passengers, especially women and children, suffered extremely at Paturia and Aricha ghats due to the inadequate number of buses. Since Saturday morning, passengers of south and south-western districts started to throng Paturia and Aricha ghat areas after arriving by launches, ferries, speedboats and shallow-engine driven boats. Passengers were seen waiting for hours before they could begin their journeys to Nabinagar, Savar and capital Dhaka and were compelled to pay fairs three to four times higher than usual.
After the Eid holidays, the mounting pressure of passengers created the crisis and some opportunists, under the fake identity of owner-workers organisation, were collecting Tk 200 to 500 from each bus. Transports were seen running slowly at the west side of Bangabandhu Bridge at Nalka and Dhopakandi bridges areas on Rajshahi-Dhaka Highway on Saturday as these bridges were narrow.
Each year, government gives a lot of assurances but in reality their decisions are not implemented. That’s the problem.
