Holidaymakers scramble to Dhaka as vacation ends
Holidaymakers are struggling to return to the capital following the Eid vacation, due to the transport crisis caused by the suspension of long-distance bus service.
Over the last two days, hundreds of people were seen entering the city on foot under the scorching sun, as many offices and factories have already reopened after the holidays.
Besides land routes, the ferry ghats were also swarming with returnees.
Meanwhile, many were seen flouting health guidelines -- not wearing masks or maintaining physical distancing -- raising the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
While people from high-income groups are returning either in private cars, flights, or rented vehicles, middle-class and low-income people are using cheaper means. But they're facing all kinds of difficulties as they have to pay two to three times more than the usual fare due to the transport crisis, our correspondents saw.
Visiting different spots in Dhaka and nearby areas in the morning, our photojournalist saw people coming to Aminbazar -- an entry point to the city -- by whatever vehicles they could avail.
They hired motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, easy-bikes, microbuses, and private cars to reach their destinations. Some even had to change vehicles multiple times to return to Dhaka.
From Aminbazar, people in droves were seen walking into the city, and after reaching the capital, they took rickshaws, motorcycles and auto-rickshaws to reach their destinations.
Motorcycles were seen carrying as many as four passengers and many auto-rickshaws were carrying passengers beyond capacity -- putting lives at risk.
Despite the hassle, most returnees wore relief on their faces, as they were happy to have spent the vacation with their families.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samiti, a passenger welfare association, demanded resumption of public transport -- maintaining strict health safety rules -- to reduce the sufferings of commuters.
In a statement yesterday, signed by its secretary general Mozzammel Haque, the association said passengers are paying exorbitant sums, as long-haul buses aren't available.
The organisation demanded resumption of inter-district and long-distance non-AC bus services on an emergency basis, in order to reduce sufferings of passengers and reduce health risks caused by less safer means of travel.
In the meantime, according to data released by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, some 1.06 crore mobile phone users left Dhaka from May 4 till May 15, despite the movement restrictions.
Health experts have expressed concerns that the cross-country travelling en masse may cause a sharp spike in the number of new Covid-19 cases.
SUFFERINGS ON THE ROAD
As thousands of people from the southern districts flocked to ferry terminals to reach the capital yesterday, crowding was an inevitable scene at the terminals. As a result, social distancing guidelines went almost completely ignored.
Travellers said they didn't have to wait for long at the ghats, as 18 ferries operated between Shimulia and Banglabazar, 16 between Paturia and Daulatdia, and four between Aricha and Kazirhat. These ferry terminals are the gateways to the 21 southern districts.
After getting off the ferries, travellers faced acute transport crisis and claimed they had to pay five to six times more than the usual fare.
Aduri Zaman Barna, a Dhaka-bound passenger from Faridpur, told The Daily Star, "On my way home, I came to Paturia Ghat on a motorcycle from Gabtali for Tk 600. On the way back today [yesterday], two people are going to Gabtali on a motorcycle from Paturia for Tk 1,200."
"Private car and microbus fares stand at Tk 700, although the bus fares usually are around Tk 300," he said. "If public transport was available, we wouldn't have to suffer as much."
On the Paturia-Nabinagar route, a private car carrying six people was charging Tk 400 per person, although the bus fare on this route is Tk 70.
Asked, its driver Sohrab said, "There are additional costs that we need to cover. If we took less than what we are taking, we would have nothing left."
Zillur Rahman, general manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation's regional office in Aricha, said traffic would get even heavier over the next few days.
Talking to The Daily Star, Manikganj Superintendent of Police Rifat Rahman Shamim said, "There has been a vehicle crisis due to the closure of public transport. Small car owners are taking this opportunity."
"We are trying to increase the number of buses locally so that the crisis can be overcome," he added.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway, the gateway to the northern districts, saw relatively lighter traffic.
As a result, vehicles were running at normal speed on the highway. A limited number of local and long-distance passenger buses, private and rented cars, microbuses, motorcycles and pickup vans were carrying Dhaka-bound passengers on the route.
Meanwhile, Police stopped a few long-distance buses which were operating defying the ban, on various points on the highway, including Sirajganj. However, this meant the passengers were dropped off the vehicles, who then had to reach their destination through alternative means, paying extra fares.
But traffic officials have warned that the roads will remain busy for at least a couple more days. Tangail traffic inspector Jane Alam told The Daily Star that as RMG workers would return after completing their scheduled leaves, the roads will see a gradual increase in the number of vehicles over the next couple of days.
[Our correspondents in Munshiganj, Manikganj, and Tangail contributed to this report]
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