Many of homebound people on Thursday started leaving the capital Dhaka for their village homes to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest festival of Muslim community, with their near and dear ones.
Similarly, people also started leaving other cities, particularly Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Khulna, in celebration of the festival despite various journey hassles.
Visiting different terminals in the capital city, it was seen that many homebound people were favouring launch and train journey due to poor state of roads and highways as well as traffic congestion. They were also departing the city three days before the beginning of Eid holiday in order to avoid further transport-related hassle.
The three-day Eid holiday will start from July 28, but many people started leaving the city from Thursday (July 24), as Friday and Saturday (July 25 and 26) are weekly holidays while many of them managed leave for July 27.
The rush of the homebound people has increased from afternoon following the end of the office time. “I, along with my family members, will celebrate the Eid in the village home. The rush may further become terrible prior to the festival. So, I am leaving the city today (Thursday evening) managing a day of leave for July 27,” said Belal Ahmed, a government employee and a resident of Banasree area.
Sadarghat launch terminal witnessed a huge rush of passengers yesterday. The vehicular movement from Jagannath University to the terminal halted from the afternoon due to the rush the country’s southern region bound passengers.
“I traveled by bus last year. But I preferred launch this year to avoid traffic jam and accident on the deplorable road,” said Masum Billah, who was waiting for a Barisal-bound launch at the terminal.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) estimates that nearly 30 lakh people will go to their village homes by launch journey during the Eid. But the authorities can’t accommodate the huge number of passengers in launches. Advanced sale of tickets for launch started on July 20. But a number of passengers has failed to collect advanced ticket.
Saiful Haque Khan, joint director of BIWTA of Sadarghat Terminal, said the matter of advanced sale of tickets depends on owners. Admitting the crisis of seats in cabin, he said the Barisal and Pathuakhali bound passengers are facing the crisis. The demand of seats in cabin is 10 thousand against 25,000 seats. So it is difficult to maintain the demand, he said.
He, however, said that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure safe journey for the homebound passengers.
Sadik Ahmed, manager of ‘Agradut Launch’, said they are trying to maintain the rush of the passengers.
A large number of people also thronged Kamlapur Railway Station to leave the city for their native villages. Advanced sale of train tickets also started on July 20.
“I am sending my wife and children to my village home in Sylhet by train five days before the Eid festival to avoid more hassle prior to the Eid. But I can’t leave Dhaka before July 27 due to my job,” said Lokman Ahmed, an employee of a private company, who went to the Kamlapur Railway Station on Thursday to see off his family members.
Although the home-goers are fabouring launch and train journey, rush of passengers was also seen at Gabtali, Mohakhali and Sayedabad bus terminals, as many of them did not collect tickets of train or launch.
The homebound people, who left the city by bus, suffered more than train and launch, as their vehicles got stuck in severe traffic jams on the highways. Potholes developed at many points at the Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways, which also made the road journey miserable.
Earlier, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader had said that they would repair the roads and highways by July 20. But, the authorities have failed to do it. Obaidul Quader on Thursday said that although he pronounced such statement, it was not any ultimatum. He only informed the decision of an inter-ministerial meeting, he said.
The deplorable state of roads and highways are creating long tailbacks alongside with the rush of vehicles ahead of Eid festival. A 40 kilometers tailback was created from Bar Para of Comilla’s Daudkandi to Comilla Cantonment part of the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, witnesses said, adding hundreds of passenger buses got stranded on both sides of the highway.
Meanwhile, failing to get tickets from the buses of highways, many ticket seekers bought tickets from small bus operators. It was alleged that some local private bus services are gearing up to lend some of their vehicles to run on the long routes. Some of these buses are 10-20 years old and not even fit to carry passengers within the city.
