Gazi Anowarul Hoque :
The Eid journey turned miserable for thousands of home-goers yesterday due to disruption of buses’ schedules and unbearable traffic jams on the highways near the ferry ghats.
At Gabtoli, many passengers complained to this Correspondent that they were waiting for buses for hours, but none from the company was giving them clear departure time.
The long tailback on the Dhaka-Aricha highway stretched from Nabinagar to Dhamrai. It was found near the DEPZ on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway, at Zirabo, Ashulia and Zamgarh points at noon. The number of vehicles increased in the morning of the day. The situation worsened due to slow movement of cattle laden trucks.
Hundreds of trucks, buses and small vehicles formed a five-kilometer tailback near the Paturia ferry terminal on Friday post noon.
14 ferries out of 19 were constantly carrying vehicles from all four ghats, said an
official of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at Aricha.
On the other hand, Shimulia-Kawrakandi ferry service on the Dhaka-Mawa route was unable to cope with the situation. Hundreds of vehicles were remaining stranded at Shimulia end. Many transports were seen to cross the once rapid Padma by speed boats and launches to reach homes hurriedly, risking their safety.
Mosharraf Hossain, in-charge of Mawa Police Outpost, said that around 70 buses, 400 light vehicles and some trucks lined in queue.
“Ferries cruised in two ways due to dredging in the Shimulia-Kawrakandi nautical route.” Shah Khaled Newaj, Assistant General Manger (AGM) to the New Nation on Friday.
Meanwhile, there was a mad rush of home-goers on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway for the last three days. A 13-kilometre-long logjam took place from Meghna Bridge to Meghna-Gumti Bridge at Daudkandi.
Thousands of people heading for homes ahead of Eid-ul-Azha were stuck in the tailback for almost 10 hours yesterday. A good number of buses and trucks carrying people and cattle stood were waiting since yesterday morning on a long stretch of highway from Meghna Bridge till Comilla Cantonment.
As the Eid day is coming closer, the traffic load has increased manifolds. The gridlock at Daudkandi part of the highway has almost become unmanageable, said police Sergeant Kamaruzzaman Raj, in-charge of Bhober Char Highway Police Check Post. However, the traffic situation of Dhaka-Tangail highway has improved slightly. Though the vehicles are moving slowly, the tailback that was created earlier eased to a great extent, reports our Tangail Correspondent.
Khalilur Rahman Patwari, Officer-in-Charge of Gorai Highway Police Outpost, said, they have deployed 700 police personnel to facilitate the movement traffic.
They are trying their best to ease the sufferings of the holiday-makers, the OC added.
Apart from the sufferings on roads, the people also have to bear the brunt of extra fare on different inter-district routes. The scenario was same at Railway stations. The number of passengers at Kamalapur Railway Station was abnormal ahead of Eid holidays.
The desperate holiday travellers were found journeying atop trains from the Kamalapur Railway Station.
But when contacted, Kamalapur Railway Station Manager Sheetangshu Chakravarty rejected the accusation and said that adequate preventive measures had been taken to stop passengers from riding on train roofs.
“The Sadarghat Launch Terminal was also overcrowded due to huge rush of passengers. Most of the launches were seen carrying passengers beyond seat capacity. When asked, a launch master said, we are undone. It is not possible to repel waves of passengers before and after two Eids every year.
The Eid journey turned miserable for thousands of home-goers yesterday due to disruption of buses’ schedules and unbearable traffic jams on the highways near the ferry ghats.
At Gabtoli, many passengers complained to this Correspondent that they were waiting for buses for hours, but none from the company was giving them clear departure time.
The long tailback on the Dhaka-Aricha highway stretched from Nabinagar to Dhamrai. It was found near the DEPZ on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway, at Zirabo, Ashulia and Zamgarh points at noon. The number of vehicles increased in the morning of the day. The situation worsened due to slow movement of cattle laden trucks.
Hundreds of trucks, buses and small vehicles formed a five-kilometer tailback near the Paturia ferry terminal on Friday post noon.
14 ferries out of 19 were constantly carrying vehicles from all four ghats, said an
official of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at Aricha.
On the other hand, Shimulia-Kawrakandi ferry service on the Dhaka-Mawa route was unable to cope with the situation. Hundreds of vehicles were remaining stranded at Shimulia end. Many transports were seen to cross the once rapid Padma by speed boats and launches to reach homes hurriedly, risking their safety.
Mosharraf Hossain, in-charge of Mawa Police Outpost, said that around 70 buses, 400 light vehicles and some trucks lined in queue.
“Ferries cruised in two ways due to dredging in the Shimulia-Kawrakandi nautical route.” Shah Khaled Newaj, Assistant General Manger (AGM) to the New Nation on Friday.
Meanwhile, there was a mad rush of home-goers on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway for the last three days. A 13-kilometre-long logjam took place from Meghna Bridge to Meghna-Gumti Bridge at Daudkandi.
Thousands of people heading for homes ahead of Eid-ul-Azha were stuck in the tailback for almost 10 hours yesterday. A good number of buses and trucks carrying people and cattle stood were waiting since yesterday morning on a long stretch of highway from Meghna Bridge till Comilla Cantonment.
As the Eid day is coming closer, the traffic load has increased manifolds. The gridlock at Daudkandi part of the highway has almost become unmanageable, said police Sergeant Kamaruzzaman Raj, in-charge of Bhober Char Highway Police Check Post. However, the traffic situation of Dhaka-Tangail highway has improved slightly. Though the vehicles are moving slowly, the tailback that was created earlier eased to a great extent, reports our Tangail Correspondent.
Khalilur Rahman Patwari, Officer-in-Charge of Gorai Highway Police Outpost, said, they have deployed 700 police personnel to facilitate the movement traffic.
They are trying their best to ease the sufferings of the holiday-makers, the OC added.
Apart from the sufferings on roads, the people also have to bear the brunt of extra fare on different inter-district routes. The scenario was same at Railway stations. The number of passengers at Kamalapur Railway Station was abnormal ahead of Eid holidays.
The desperate holiday travellers were found journeying atop trains from the Kamalapur Railway Station.
But when contacted, Kamalapur Railway Station Manager Sheetangshu Chakravarty rejected the accusation and said that adequate preventive measures had been taken to stop passengers from riding on train roofs.
“The Sadarghat Launch Terminal was also overcrowded due to huge rush of passengers. Most of the launches were seen carrying passengers beyond seat capacity. When asked, a launch master said, we are undone. It is not possible to repel waves of passengers before and after two Eids every year.
