Staff Reporter :
Soon after the government announced to enforce 7-day countrywide lockdown from Monday, a frantic rush of people to go home reached its peak in the capital, as they think once the lockdown is imposed it would be extended further.
Crowds of people have been seen flooding the capital’s bus stands, railway stations and launch terminal since the announcement of the lockdown. Ticket counters were struggling to cope with the crowds of passengers. There were no signs of bothering the health guidelines anywhere.
Home-bound passengers have alleged that extra fare was being collected from them by the conductors taking the advantage of sudden rush.
Bus counter officials said crowds have been going to every bus counter in the city since the one-week lockdown was announced at noon on Saturday. Overflowing crowds were seen at some of the counters. The counter staff are not able to accommodate the crowd at Gabtali.
Naimul Islam of Purbasha Paribahan counter said, “There were rushes crowd at every counter in Gabtali. We are struggling to handle people. All tickets are sold out.”
The same situation was seen at Saidabad terminal.
Mosharref Hossain, General Manager of Hanif Paribahan said, “No advance tickets are sold at our counter. Even then, the pressure of passengers is much severer now than it was the other day. All the seats were sold out before the bus arrived here.”
“We were asked to keep 50 percent seats vacant but we are facing tough challenges to maintain health safety guidelines due to huge pressures of the passengers,” he said.
Abul Kalam, president of bus owners’ association of Mohakhali bus terminal, said the number of passengers increased a little in the afternoon and most of them were buying tickets for tomorrow (Sunday).
“We think the pressure of passengers would increase tomorrow [Sunday],’he told the media.
Zainal Abedin, Joint Director (Dhaka River Port) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, told the media at 4:49pm that although they are yet to see rise of passengers, but it may change later in the day.
Shahidul Alam, sub-inspector of River Police at Sadarghat outpost, told the media at 6:30pm that the number of passengers has increased in the evening.
Meanwhile, flight operations on domestic routes and train services will remain suspended from Monday due to the lockdown.
