Bus and launch terminals as well as train stations in different cities of Bangladesh witnessed a mad rush of Eid holidaymakers on Thursday as tens of thousands of people left the cities for their ancestral homes in districts to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, scheduled to be celebrated on Saturday.
As the 10-day Eid holiday, the longest ever holiday during Eid, began on Wednesday, home-bound people from Dhaka began to rush to the bus and launch terminals as well as train stations from early in the morning.
The home-goers even climbed on train roofs, used trucks and small buses to reach their destinations. Many long-route buses were seen carrying passengers beyond their seat capacity, while trains and launches left Dhaka in overcrowded conditions.
As the pressure of vehicles increased on Wednesday, long tailbacks and slow movement of vehicles were reported from different areas of the country.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Tangail reported that a long tailback stretching over 25 kilometres paralysed the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge Highway on Thursday as thousands of holidaymakers began their journey home ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
The congestion, which began early in the morning, affected the Tangail section of the highway, from the Ashekpur Bypass to the Jamuna Bridge.
Light rainfall at around 2:00pm further worsened the situation, adding to passengers鈥� misery, especially those travelling in open trucks.
Ahsanul Kabir, executive engineer of the Jamuna Bridge Site Office under the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, said that 51,849 vehicles crossed the bridge between Tuesday midnight and Wednesday midnight. The number was almost triple the daily average.
A toll of Tk 35.98 million was collected during the 24-hour period. Of the total, 30,845 vehicles headed toward North Bengal, while 21,004 vehicles travelled towards Dhaka, he said.
The government鈥檚 Eid holidays will continue until June 14, during which all government and private offices, banks, and factories will remain closed, prompting millions to leave urban areas for their hometowns.
Traffic chaos wasn鈥檛 limited to one route.
In Gazipur, massive congestion was reported at Tongi, Bhogra Bypass, Chandana crossings on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, and Chandra crossing on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway.
On the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway, vehicles moved slowly at several points due to ongoing flyover and six-lane construction work, though no major gridlocks were seen, reported 抖阴精品 correspondent in Narshingdi.
Meanwhile, traffic on the Feni section of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway remained smooth through Thursday afternoon, reported the district correspondent.
The rush was equally intense at Dhaka鈥檚 major transport hubs. Railway stations, bus terminals, and launch terminals witnessed an overwhelming number of outbound passengers.
Mohiuddin Arif, divisional manager of Bangladesh Railway鈥檚 Dhaka office, said trains mostly ran on time, though some experienced brief delays to accommodate heavy boarding.
An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 passengers departed from Dhaka by train on Thursday, he said.
Although roof travel is banned at Kamalapur station, many were seen riding on train roofs from stations like Tongi.
At the Sadarghat launch terminal, over 130 launches were scheduled to depart for southern districts by Thursday night.
BIWTA joint director posted at Sadarghat, Md Mubarak Hossain said that they tightened surveillance to prevent overloading.
United News of Bangladesh reported that thousands of holidaymakers, particularly readymade garment workers, faced severe traffic congestion, inflated fares and overcrowded transport options on Thursday as they departed from Savar and nearby industrial areas ahead of Eid.
聽Heavy traffic gridlock was reported from morning to noon on the Dhaka-Aricha and Nabinagar-Chandra highways due to an overwhelming surge in vehicle and passenger numbers.
The situation worsened further due to continuous rainfall since the morning, compounding the hardship of travellers.
Taking advantage of the Eid rush, transport workers were allegedly charging extra fares, forcing passengers to pay well above the regular rates.
Many commuters were seen booking seats by offering higher payments just to secure a spot.
From early morning, long queues formed at transport counters across Savar and surrounding areas.
Key points such as Hemayetpur, Amin Bazar, Genda, Ulail, Nabinagar, Baipail, Sripur and Jirani Bazar witnessed long tailbacks, with travellers complaining of a shortage of seats and steep ticket prices.
Parvin Akhter Paru, a garment worker waiting to travel to Rangpur, said, 鈥業鈥檝e been standing for hours. Even when a seat is available, they ask for nearly double the fare. A Tk 650 ticket is being sold for Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,400.鈥�
Sentu Mia, another passenger heading to Jashore, said, 鈥楾hey鈥檙e asking Tk 800 for a Tk 400 trip. We鈥檙e poor people, what are we supposed to do?鈥�
Bus driver Parvez Alam denied overcharging, saying, 鈥榃e鈥檙e not forcing anyone. Some passengers are voluntarily giving Eid bonuses.鈥�
Subrata Kumar, a supervisor of Sakura Paribahan for the Barishal route, claimed that they were charging regular fares but acknowledged the high demand. 鈥楽eats are limited and during Eid, costs always go up.鈥�
Despite widespread complaints, local authorities said they had yet to receive any formal allegation regarding fare hikes.
Saleh Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Savar Highway Police Station, said they were aware of the congestion and had been working since dawn to ease traffic, deploying additional personnel.
He also assured that action would be taken if any official complaint was lodged.
