A relatively quiet Dhaka
Compared to other days, roads of the capital were relatively quiet yesterday, the eighth day of the countrywide "strict lockdown", as it was a weekend.
This correspondent visited Asad Gate, Farmgate, Panthapath, Mohammadpur, Shyamoli, Ring Road, Adabor, and Dhanmondi areas and witnessed the scenario.
Police, Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard Bangladesh and army personnel were seen checking vehicles by setting up check-posts at important points. But there was lax monitoring at some check-posts, where there were no law enforcers.
Police in Dhaka yesterday detained 381 individuals for being outdoors without valid reason. Mobile courts fined 108 individuals and shops Tk 67,940, while Dhaka Metropolitan Police's traffic division fined 321 motorists Tk 8.17 lakh.
RUSH AT HIGHWAYS, WATERWAYS
Meanwhile, despite the lockdown, people, especially employees and workers, who went to their village homes during Eid, are coming back to the capital, using different modes of transport.
Such inter-district travelling, defying health-safety protocols and lockdown rules, could worsen the Covid-19 situation in the country, expert fear.
The country has been witnessing nearly 200 deaths a day for the past two weeks, and new records of daily cases and deaths are being made almost every other day.
Amid the situation, hundreds of people travelled across the Padma river on ferries running on Daulatdia-Paturia and Bangla Bazar-Shimulia routes, despite the gloomy weather.
Crowds of Dhaka-bound passengers and vehicles flocked to Bangla Bazar ferry terminal in Madaripur since yesterday morning. Physical distancing could not be maintained on the crowded ferries, reports our Munshiganj correspondent.
Out of 17 ferries, nine were operating on the route.
A similar situation prevailed on Daulatdia-Paturia ferry route.
The government's decision to reopen export-oriented establishments from Sunday may have been the reason, said officials.
As public transport has been kept off roads, passengers were seen taking detours, changing vehicles multiple times to go to their destinations by road. A rush of travellers was observed on Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Chattogram highways, as people were boarding whatever vehicle was available.
Roads and highways in Manikganj were crowded with Dhaka-bound passengers, as they were returning on pickup vans, motorcycles, rickshaws, and in private cars and microbuses, paying exorbitant fares.
At least several hundred women, men and children were seen waiting for vehicles on the highway in front of Water Development Board in Manikganj Bus-stand area around 3:30pm, reports our Manikganj correspondent. People were stumbling to board vehicles as soon as they arrived.
At least 20-22 passengers were being carried on a pickup van going from Manikganj to Nabinagar in Savar, with a single person's fare being Tk 400. A motorcycle was carrying two passengers, taking Tk 300-400 from each, and a rickshaw-van was carrying 12 people, taking Tk 250 per person.
Alif Hossain of Manikganj's Shibalaya upazila, who works for a private company in Savar, said, "My employer wants me to come to office, or I won't have a job… Now, I'm standing here, waiting for a vehicle."
Amid rising cases of Covid-19, the government announced another lockdown, which banned operation of trains, domestic flights, passenger vessels, and personal vehicles, from July 23, after an eight-day break for Eid. There is, however, no restrictions on freight services.
The lockdown will end on August 5 midnight.
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