Chittagong Bureau :
With Durga Puja and Eid-ul-Azha just around the corner, people have started leaving the port city well ahead of time to avert the eleventh-hour rush. While visiting railway station, different bus terminals including Kadamtali, BRTC, Dampara and Olongkar and launch terminal at Sadarghat area in the city, it was found that scores of home-bound people were rushing madly to celebrate the festivals with their near and dear ones. All trains, buses and launches leaving the city were over loaded with home-goers. Though the mad rush reached its peak yesterday, the home-bound train passengers faced untold sufferings as five compartments of Dhaka-bound Mahanagar Prabhati veered off rail track at Mirersarai area in Chittagong. Two trains including Sylhet-bound Paharika and Dhaka-bound Chattala Express left Chittagong Station two hours behind the schedule due to the derailment. Hundreds of agonized passengers were seen waiting at Chittagong rail station.
Private bus operators are worried about the long tailback on Dhaka-Chittagong highway and poor condition of it. Contacted, Kafil Uddin Ahmed, general secretary of Inter-District Bus Owners Association informed that around 25 thousand people leave the port city on 600-700 buses every day.
“Dilapidated highways and the 56km long tailback in Daudkandi-Comilla area on Dhaka-Chittagong worry us most. Besides, the roadside cattle markets add to the woes,” said Kafil.
Sohel Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge of Highway Police, Mainamati said that they were managing the rush of transports against all odds.
The OC, however, attributed the causes of tailback on the highway to plying of rundown vehicles, long containers and over loaded vehicles.
“We have a plan to sell 3,735 tickets for eight inter-city trains daily. Two special trains will run on the Chittagong-Chandpur route daily from Oct 3 to 5,” informed Abul Kalam Azad, Chittagong railway station manager.
Md Mozammel Haque, general manager of Railways (East Zone) said Bangladesh Railway has cancelled weekly holidays for 37 inter-city trains of its eastern zone from Oct 1 to 5 to tackle the added pressure of passengers during the Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja vacations.
“We will be able to transport up to 60,000 passengers during this time,” added Mozammel. Special trains would run and 72 compartments have been added to the trains to transport holidaymakers in the region.
