People start leaving city for home
People, mostly civil servants and their families, started leaving the capital for home last night to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr with their near and dear ones.
Yesterday was the last working day for government employees before Eid as they will enjoy a nine-day vacation, including four weekends, thanks to the announcement of a public holiday on Monday which was the only working day left in next week.
Around 60-70 lakh people will travel by roads, rail and rivers until Wednesday to reach their destinations. This year, the Eid-ul-Fitr will be either on July 6 or the following day.
According to Urban Area Report 2014 of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 1.41 crore people live in Dhaka.
Like every year, majority of the holidaymakers will travel by road. Their trips are likely to be a little more comfortable this year than the previous years due to the long vacation. Besides, most highways are in better condition.
Previously, the usual three-day Eid vacation coupled with rain-battered highways used to make people's trips very difficult.
Transport operators, police and officials of the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) hoped that there would be less pressure on highways this year compared to previous years as holidaymakers would leave the city in a staggered manner. Similarly, there would be less hassle for train and launch passengers.
They estimated that over 45 lakh people would take buses while about five lakh trains and around 10 lakh launches. However, Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association put the number of homebound people at 75 lakh.
Talking to this newspaper at Mohakhali Inter-District Bus Terminal last evening, Senior Officer SM Rakib Forazy of Investment Corporation of Bangladesh said: “I'm leaving tonight [last night] as there is no office before Sunday [July 10]. I want to take full advantage of the extended holiday.”
Like him, thousands of people took buses, trains and launches for home last night. The city's most educational institutions are already on Ramadan and Eid vacation, meaning a good number of students have already left the capital.
WORRIES REMAIN
People's trips home would not be smooth due to various hazards. Tailbacks at city exits would cause sufferings to passengers as vehicles might get stuck at Tongi, Jatrabari, Gabtoli and near the Buriganga bridges.
The Chittagong-bound passengers might have to negotiate traffic jams at Kanchpur, Sonargaon, Signboard, Madanpur and Sanarpar intersections after crossing Jatrabari.
The narrow Jatrabari-Matuail-Kazla road would be another exit route for travellers to Chittagong and Sylhet.
Based on previous experience, the road transport and bridges ministry has identified 16 points where there might be tailbacks. Some 1,000 members of Rover Scout will work there as volunteers to assist police in managing traffic.
The Nabinagar-Chandra and Joydebpur-Chandra roads might see the worst traffic congestions this year also. The ministry would pay special attention to the roads to ease traffic.
Sabuj Uddin Khan, superintendent engineer (Dhaka circle) of RHD, said vehicles from Savar area would be diverted to an alternative lane to avoid rush at Chandra intersection.
“We temporarily widened a three-kilometre stretch of Dhaka-Tangail road from Chandra intersection to help coming from Savar and Joydebpur,” he told The Daily Star.
He said 80 rover scouts will start working with police tomorrow in the area to help them enforce traffic rules.
Around 35,000 vehicles would use the Chandra-Elenga road everyday on way to 26 northern and southern districts daily during Eid holidays. The two-lane road sees a huge traffic movement.
The vehicles would run smoothly after crossing the Bangabandhu Bridge. Trips toward Rangpur, Dinajpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon are expected to be hassle-free.
Crossing Abdullahpur and Tongi on the outskirts of the capital might be difficult like it had been for years. People heading for Mymensingh, Sherpur, Netrakona and Jamalpur might have to bear the brunt of extra traffic on the road stretching from Tongi bridge to Joydebpur intersection.
There might be tailbacks near Aminbazar Bridge and Savar Bazar on way to southern districts. Smooth trips for passengers would largely depend on Paturia-Daulatdia ferry and launch services.
Previously, people bound for Jessore, Khulna, Satkhira and Meherpur had to wait at Paturia for hours due to shortage of ferries. After reaching Daulatdia, their journeys would become smooth.
There might be no trouble in crossing Mawa-Kawrakandi route this year.
A large number of unfit and rundown vehicles start plying highways during Eid holidays, taking an advantage of a transport crisis. Many of the vehicles break down on highways, causing long tailbacks, said transport operators and police.
The situation takes a turn for worse when a vehicle breaks down on two-lane roads as a tow truck finds it difficult to reach the spot and a gridlock is created in the meantime.