The launch, bus terminals and railway stations in Dhaka are seeing a huge rush of holidaymakers as more than one million people are expected to leave the city on Saturday to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in their village home.
According to of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), around 5 to 6 million people are expected to leave the city for enjoying Eid with their near and dear ones at their villages, report UNB and BSS.
A DMP official said over a million people are expected to leave the city on Saturday.
Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of Muslims, is expected to be celebrated on June 5 as it is dependent on moon sighting.
The trains, buses and launches leaving Dhaka were very packed, but no passenger was seen travelling on bus and train roofs unlike previous years.
The usual bustling city traffic, meanwhile, has eased a bit with the exodus of holidaymakers.
Kamalapur Railway Station, major bus terminals and Sadarghat Ferry Terminal were over crowded with the home-goers waiting for hours together to catch their transports to reach their destinations.
Kamalapur Railway Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Yasin Faruq said four intercity trains --Nilsagar Express, Rangpur Express, Ekata Express and Sundarban Express -- left the Kamalapur Railway Station behind their schedules.
Technical glitches and delayed return of trains from outside the capital are the main reasons behind the failure to main their schedules.
Although there was no report of traffic jam on major highways, four out of 17 trains could not maintain their schedule again, causing sufferings to their passengers.
The capital’s Sadarghat launch terminal, Sayedabad, Gabtoli and Mahakhali bus terminals and Kamalapur railway station were seeing a huge crowd.
The government, BRTA, BIWTA and the law enforcement agencies took different measures to ensure a hassle-free and safe journey for home-goers.
The government employees, who took leave on the only workday on June 3, are also leaving the capital from Thursday afternoon.
The homebound people of Chattogram division are not facing any traffic gridlock after the opening of Meghna and Gumti bridges on Dhaka-Chattogram highway.
Besides, the people of Rajshahi, Rangpur and Mymensingh are going to their village home by road in large number without facing much traffic gridlock.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is operating a central control room in Dhaka, round-the-clock from Thursday and it will be continued to June 9, to ensure smooth journeys for home-goers during the Eid vacation.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the government has taken all necessary measures so that people can go to their homes safely.
“There is no concern of having traffic congestion on roads and highways ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr this year…If discipline is brought in transportation, I think there will be no traffic jam on the roads across the country, including the capital,” he told newsmen while visiting Gabtoli Bus Terminal in the city on Saturday.
He said holidaymakers may face problems on the Dhaka-Gazipur highway during as road repair work continues there.
“I requested the Gazipur city mayor to deploy 300 volunteers on the road to ease traffic movement,” he added.
However, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Highway Range (Gazipur) Md Shafiqul Islam said traffic on all the major highways is normal with smooth movement of vehicles.
"There's no report of any tailback on any highway, Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail ones, as of 5pm today (Saturday)," he said.
Bangladesh Police instructed police officials to verify drivers’ licenses, buses’ fitness certificates and other vehicle documents prior to each Eid journey, to ensure a hassle-free and safe journey for home-goers.
Earlier, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary said in a directive to police officials that bus helpers may not replace drivers, and initiatives will be taken so that no vehicles carry passengers on the roofs of buses.
