AS the Eid-ul-Fitr is knocking the door, home-bound passengers are taking long journey on highways and using Railways and Waterways to reach families overnight. There is acrimonious scene all over and we must say the government must ensure discipline at critical places to avoid mishap. The weather is however good this time to save people from inclement weather but the suffering of the people from long traffic congestions in major highway sections all over the country is making passengers life difficult.
The risk remains high as politically powerful people are plying poor dilapidated vehicles using new paints on their bodies and bribing Highway Police and Road Transport Authorities to give a deaf ear to their wrong doing. We would ask the authorities concern to increase vigilance on the highways and over all other modes of transport so that passengers can go home safe and return safe to their workplaces.
But what is quite pleasing is that no major accident is so far reported on the highways although long tail-back is causing untold wait to home-goers. Dhaka-Chittagong Highway has remained overcrowded. Traffic on Tangail highway towards North Bengal and on Mymensingh highway is hardly moving. Traffic jam on both end of the Meghna-Gumti Bridge, Meghna Bridge, and Kanchpur Bridge is unbearable.
What is more troubling is that inter-district buses from city’s major bus terminals are failing to maintain departure schedules as city bound buses from various destinations are failing to reach the terminals even being delayed by several hours. The suffering of women and children knows no bound as most people remain stranded at buses and train stations for their ride. Aerial view of the highways shows that vehicles are not moving at many places. However the train service is moving though delayed by several hours at many stations.
Passengers are overcrowding at Sadarghat Launch Terminals. Tickets were sold early on for train, buses and launches in black market. People bought tickets at exorbitant rates from black marketeers and now their physical suffering exceed all limits.
It appears that the early sales of Eid tickets have mostly benefitted rent-seekers and black marketeers who operate in organized syndicates to rob innocent people on such festivity and male illegal fortune. In fact criminals and dishonest people are holding control over the entire Eid communication system over the nose of the government in which some government leaders are also complicit in many cases.
The comment by a Minister that all launches are fit this time to run passengers in river routes is highly indicative of such nexus. Moreover when he said since launches will not take overload of cargo while running Eid passengers, there is hardly any risk of accidents in carrying overloaded passengers.
We must say that a small shortcoming may become cause of big accidents and there should not be any laxity to make sure that every life is safe and protected. The entire nation is on move and the safety of people must be high on card.
The risk remains high as politically powerful people are plying poor dilapidated vehicles using new paints on their bodies and bribing Highway Police and Road Transport Authorities to give a deaf ear to their wrong doing. We would ask the authorities concern to increase vigilance on the highways and over all other modes of transport so that passengers can go home safe and return safe to their workplaces.
But what is quite pleasing is that no major accident is so far reported on the highways although long tail-back is causing untold wait to home-goers. Dhaka-Chittagong Highway has remained overcrowded. Traffic on Tangail highway towards North Bengal and on Mymensingh highway is hardly moving. Traffic jam on both end of the Meghna-Gumti Bridge, Meghna Bridge, and Kanchpur Bridge is unbearable.
What is more troubling is that inter-district buses from city’s major bus terminals are failing to maintain departure schedules as city bound buses from various destinations are failing to reach the terminals even being delayed by several hours. The suffering of women and children knows no bound as most people remain stranded at buses and train stations for their ride. Aerial view of the highways shows that vehicles are not moving at many places. However the train service is moving though delayed by several hours at many stations.
Passengers are overcrowding at Sadarghat Launch Terminals. Tickets were sold early on for train, buses and launches in black market. People bought tickets at exorbitant rates from black marketeers and now their physical suffering exceed all limits.
It appears that the early sales of Eid tickets have mostly benefitted rent-seekers and black marketeers who operate in organized syndicates to rob innocent people on such festivity and male illegal fortune. In fact criminals and dishonest people are holding control over the entire Eid communication system over the nose of the government in which some government leaders are also complicit in many cases.
The comment by a Minister that all launches are fit this time to run passengers in river routes is highly indicative of such nexus. Moreover when he said since launches will not take overload of cargo while running Eid passengers, there is hardly any risk of accidents in carrying overloaded passengers.
We must say that a small shortcoming may become cause of big accidents and there should not be any laxity to make sure that every life is safe and protected. The entire nation is on move and the safety of people must be high on card.
