No traffic congestion on the highway and no hassle for tickets mean bus rides for Eid holidaymakers headed for their homes in towns and villages from Dhaka are comfortable this time around.
Passengers who travelled on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway are happier than others as the recent inauguration of two bridges over the rivers Meghna and Gomti has eased traffic jams at major points.
No traffic jam was reported at Meghna Bridge toll plaza, Daudkandi, Gouripur, Madhaiya Bazar, Chandina, Poduar Bazar and Biswa Road.
Transporters and passengers also credited the upgrade of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway to a four-lane one, establishment of overpasses in places of level-crossings in Cumilla and Feni, and launch of online toll payment system with the ease of traffic congestions.
It took two and a half hours to reach Feni from Dhaka’s Sayedabad on Friday, a journey which had taken four to five hours, and even up to 12 hours sometimes, before Eid in previous years, a passenger said.
The second bridge on the river Shitalakkhya at Kanchpur has also brought relief for Sylhet-bound travellers.
They can now cross the river through Kanchpur in minutes. Doing so would take hours during the Eid travel rush in previous years.
Several thoroughfares on the Joydebpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga portion of the Dhaka-Tangail Highway linking 23 districts, including 19 in the north, with the capital have recently been set up.
The flyovers, underpasses, and overpasses in Gazipur have made the journey easier despite works to develop the key highway into a four-lane one, according to officials.
On Friday, there was a little pressure on the highway due to a rush in the morning, but vehicles did not get stuck anywhere, bdnews24.com reported.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Anwar Hossain said they had also removed illegal structures from the highway.
At least 700 law enforcers have been deployed to stop traffic congestions on the highway, Tangail Superintendent of Police Sanjit Kumar Roy said.
Offices are open only on Monday before the Eid-ul-Fitr, which falls next Wednesday or Thursday.
But many private organisations declared holiday on Monday as well, making it a nine-day holiday, while many took leave for Monday and started the journeys on Friday.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has hoped the holidaymakers will enjoy the most comfortable Eid travel in Bangladesh’s history this time.
The near absence of traffic jams has also made it possible for buses to leave Dhaka in time as the vehicles do not get stuck on the highways now, transporters said.
Passengers were also happy about buses running on time and hassle-free purchase of ticket at the counters in Gabtoli, Kalyanpur, and Shyamoli.
Tickets were available for those who did not confirm them in advance.
But, some passengers complained the operators were charging them at least Tk 100 more than they do usually for trips to the north.
The transporters denied the allegation.
Sujon Mahmud, a Sarker Travels staffer at its Technical Morh counter, said they were selling a ticket at the government-fixed price of Tk 420, but they usually charge the passengers less when there is no rush.
Some other passengers who bought tickets online in advance also alleged they were charged extra.
One of them said he bought a ticket at Tk 674, including Tk 74 service charge, five days ago fearing trouble, but when he came to catch the bus on Friday, he saw people buying tickets from counters for Tk 450.
