Staff Reporter :
Thousands of vehicles full of passengers were running from Dhaka to beyond the Padma River with an excitement of joy on the very first day of the opening of the Padma Bridge to traffic.
When it used to take hours to cross the rivers, now the bridge has shortened the hours of journey and sufferings.
Some of the bus drivers claimed that they had reached Barishal from Dhaka within three and half hours when it used to take about seven to eight hours to reach Barishal and ten to twelve hours to Patuakhali.
The bus drives said, they did not face any traffic congestion after leaving Dhaka and reached their destination smoothly.
Many of the passengers have expressed their joys and said they are now reaching their destinations without any hassles and sufferings which was a common scenario in the river routes.
“It’s really a great feeling. I am passing the Padma river within five to six minutes. It’s really a dream,” Sahajahan Mia, a passenger of Sakura Paribahan said.
Another passenger Abdur Rahman said, “I am happy today. I am going to Patuakhali from Gabtoli.
It took Tk600 only. But the journey is smooth without sufferings.”
The previous bus fare from Dhaka to Patuakhali was Tk400 to Tk500 but now it is Tk600. Many of the passengers said, this fare is tolerable as there is no sufferings on the journey now.
Mizanur Rahman, driver of Elish Paribahan said, “We used to float on the river for whole night while traveling from Dhaka to Barishal. But today I have reached within three and a half hours without any sufferings.”
Uzzal, a driver of Antara Paribahan said, “I started at 7am from Dhaka and reached Barishal at 12pm. It seems to me a dream.”
BRTC Barishal Depot Manager Jahangir Alam said, at least 14 AC buses left Barishal for Dhaka and the same buses will return with passengers.
He said that there was huge pressure of passengers since morning.
