Staff Reporter :
Passengers traveling by buses, trains and launches suffered the worst suffering on Friday due to untold traffic congestions, schedule disruptions and excessive fare during their journey to homes to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha.
The authorities and administrations, which were in charge of maintaining the smooth journey were helpless despite their frantic efforts.
It was a complete mad rush on all the major roads leading out of the capital on Friday when the major highways were entirely clogged by the huge traffic for hours.
The sufferings of the people bound for their homes to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, the largest Muslim festival, were untold as they had to wait for buses, trains and other modes of transports for a long time before boarding.
Sources said that Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Sylhet, Dhaka-Chattogram highways and Dhaka-Mawa Expressway witnessed the untold gridlocks for hours due to the huge pressure of vehicles.
Tens of thousands of people were seen rushing to the major inter-district bus terminals including Gabtoli, Sayedabad and Mahakhali, while Kamalapur Railway Station, Airport Railway Station and the Sadarghat launch terminal were rocking with the rush of people.
The bus and train services missed the schedules due to extreme pressure of passengers and people suffered the worst for it.
On the other hand, the holidaymakers who opted to cross their river on the Aricha-Daulatdia route had also suffered as they had to wait for hours due to the crazy rush of people and vehicles.
Hundreds of people were found walking along different roads in to bid to reach their nearby destinations for want of any mode of transport.
Visiting the bus terminals, it was learnt that the buses had lost their schedule to reach the counters for boarding and leaving the terminals.
The traffic management had totally failed for the extreme pressure of people and the movement of the truck-loaded sacrificial
animals bound for various Haats in the capital and elsewhere. The highway police were in charge of the traffic management but they were also helpless to control the situation despite their frantic efforts to ease the bumper to bumper traffic congestion.
The sufferings of the people did not end on the highways under the scorching heat only, rather they were also compelled to pay much higher fare to obtain a seat in the bus.
The passengers were completely helpless but to give the high fare, as there was none to oversee the situation. Hundreds of people were seen standing at the Gabtoli, Amin Bazar, Savar, Baipail, Savar EPZ, Chandra bus terminals.
When people failed to get buses, the low-income people opted for the trucks and pick-ups to reach their destinations. Though it was completely illegal to carry people in the trucks and pick-up vans, the administration was found silent to take any action amid the intensive rush of people.
The Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway witnessed 30km long tailback following the huge pressure of vehicles.
Police said immense pressure of vehicles was responsible for the traffic congestion for hours on the highways and the jam made the vehicular movement slow. Abdul Halim, a Rangpur-bound bus passenger, left Dhaka at 11pm on Thursday and reached Elanga at 8:30am due to extreme pressure of vehicles.
“The Eid-journey this time is really excruciating due to deadly traffic jam. I don’t know when I will reach home,” he said. The vehicles, which were entering Dhaka also had experienced severe traffic jam for hours.
Abdul Malik, a Dhaka bond bus driver from Rangpur, said that he left Rangpur at 4 pm on Thursday and was stuck at the eastern end of the Bangabandhu Bridge at 8am on Friday. Eid passengers have been suffering in a 26km long tailback on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway due to a heavy rush of vehicles.
There was a severe traffic jam from Tongi of Gazipur to Joydebpur intersection on the highway since morning. A 14km tailback at various places stretching from Joydebpur intersection to Rajendrapur intersection on both sides was seen, leaving people to suffer the worst.
Drivers and people said that the traffic congestion was mostly in Konabari, Safipur Palli Bidyut interception area on the highway.
With the opening of the Padma Bridge, there was huge pressure of vehicles bound for the 21 districts of the South and South-Western region. The Padma Bridge toll plaza rocked with extreme pressure by the huge number of vehicles.
On the other hand, the Kamalapur Railway Station was teaming with people who were waiting for hours for their designated trains but most of the trains lost their schedule.
There was scurrying rush of people to board the trains. Those who could not manage to enter inside the trains; they jumped on the rooftop, when such boarding is completely against the law.
Kamalapur Railway Station Manager Masud Sarwar said, “We are facing huge pressure of people in the last two days. We are completely unable to maintain the stream of people. Our law enforcement is helpless before such pressure.”
About the rooftop journey, he said, “We tried much but we could not bring people down from the rooftop.”
He also said that most of the trains had left the Kamalapur Station in time but the Northern and Western bound trains were running behind the schedule for two to three hours.
At least four trains like Dhumketu Express, Nilsagar Express, Sundarban Express, Rangpur Express, were running behind the schedule. On the other hand, the people of the Southern districts who preferred the launch journey were seen rushing towards the Sadarghat Launch Terminal since morning.
There was huge pressure of holidaymakers at the Sadarghat where people were seen rushing to board on the decks of the launches. Many complained about the high fare of launch tickets on the occasion of the Eid.
Apart from this, the Paturia ghat witnessed huge rush as hundreds of vehicles from Dhaka were seen heading towards the Patuia-Daulatdia river route. However, the pressure on this route is less this time as most of the Southern districts preferred their journey by the Padma Bridge to the river route.
However, BIWTA has 20 ferries on the Paturia-Daulatdia route to carry passengers and vehicles during the Eid.
BIWTA official sources said some 7,000 vehicles including 3,600 motorbikes had crossed their Paturia-Daulatdia route in the last 24 hours.
