Mad dash for home as curfew relaxed for 3 hrs

People scramble to board a train at Airport Railway Station yesterday as curfew was relaxed for three hours from 4:00pm.Photo: STAR

Thousands of people who had to crash at places other than theirs for the curfew clamped on the capital and five other divisional headquarters Wednesday night hurried to go home after the government relaxed the restriction for three hours from 4:00pm yesterday.
Desperate for the safety back home, they however suffered badly due to severe transport crisis.
Meanwhile, the city dwellers flocked to the markets to make sure they have enough provisions for the days to come, but found most of the malls, department stores, and kitchen markets shuttered.
Buses, auto-rickshaws and other vehicles including rickshaws charged more than twice the usual fare. Still, people moved in thousands towards the bus terminals, railway stations and launch terminals in whatever way they could. Many set off on foot, shouldering the luggage.
At Zia International Airport (ZIA), thousands of incoming passengers and their relatives remained stranded for hours yesterday. Cabbies charged exorbitantly from those willing to reach home sooner.
Some 2,500 people arrived at the ZIA in seven foreign and three Biman flights in 12 hours beginning from 7:00am, Biman officials said.
Many who reached the capital late on Wednesday night and yesterday morning from different cities and districts complained of beating and harassment by the law enforcers when they tried to return home.
A good number of them could neither manage a transport or a hotel to stay put.
CAPITAL
Thousands of passengers stranded at the ZIA also did not find foods or water with most of the shops in the area closed. Many including children stood in the rain outside without knowing what was awaiting them.
"I have been here since 7:30am as there was no transport at the ZIA," said a person who came from Qatar in a morning flight.
"A few taxi cabs that were available demanded huge fares," he lamented. Many of the taxi drivers were asking for a minimum of Tk 2,000 no matter what the distance was. Some demanded as high as Tk 7,000 for journeys to nearby districts, alleged one of those who were stranded.
Most of the passengers were unhappy with the way the airport authorities gave them the cold shoulder, adding to their sufferings.
Without finding an alternative, those bound for relatively nearby places walked home.
Meanwhile, many who came to the city from across the country, alleged that the law enforcers gave them beating for nothing. They were already drained because of walking a long distance with luggage on their back.
Thousands who reached the Sadarghat launch terminal in the morning hours from different southern districts suffered terribly for want of food and water as most of the restaurants and shops were closed for fear of harassment by the law enforcers.
"With my mother and sister, I got here at 7:00 in the morning. We didn't know anything about the curfew. It was a painful experience as there was no vehicle and all shops were closed," said Abdus Sattar of Bhola.
Many passengers alleged that the law enforcers beat up the young ones while swore at the women and girls.
"I was beaten up thrice on my way from Sadarghat to Gulistan. They did not even give me a chance to show my ID," Sumon Mohammad, 25, told The Daily Star.
The ones trying to leave the capital had to face similar troubles in reaching Sadarghat even when the curfew was loosened yesterday evening.
People who were trapped in the capital since the curfew was clamped at short notice Wednesday night began rushing to the Gabtoli Bus Terminal after 4:00pm yesterday. But few could have tickets as most of those were already sold.
No buses left for any divisional town as the curfew is in place there as well.
“After searching frantically for over half an hour we could not get any taxi or a CNG [-run three-wheeler]. So we had to hire a rickshaw-van at Tk 120 to take us to Gabtoli from Mohammadpur Town Hall,” said a student who toiled to the terminal along with his two friends to start for Gaibandha.
Passengers alleged that taking advantage of the extraordinary situation, many bus operators were charging higher than usual.
Due to the curfew, the passenger buses had to cancel most of their scheduled trips.
RAJSHAHI
After relaxation of the curfew, hundreds of stranded students of educational institutions in Rajshahi yesterday rushed to bus terminal and railway station, reports our Rajshahi University correspondent.
They were seen leaving the city by buses jam-packed inside and on the roof.
They also travelled on trucks, tempos, microbuses and other modes of transport.
Taking advantage of the situation, transport owners were charging 2/3 times higher fare. Rickshaws and vans also charged double fare, students said.
Many people were seen waiting on the streets at several locations of the city till filing of this report late in the evening.
After 4:00pm, two trains -- north and south bound -- left Rajshahi, railway sources said.
Earlier, on Wednesday night, police raided all private male and female student hostels and messes, asking them to vacate by Thursday.
Students of public educational institutions including Rajshahi University, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (Ruet), Rajshahi Medical College and Rajshahi Government College had to take shelter in private hostels since the institutions were declared closed.
Yesterday morning, many domestic workers and day labourers headed for their workplaces were beaten up by law enforcement agency personnel, sources said.
A class five student of Rajshahi Collegiate School was beaten up in the presence of his father. The student fainted from the beating.
Newspaper hawkers were also beaten up early in the morning while preparing for distribution of newspapers, sources added.
Hundreds of people were beaten up and chased away while some were arrested in the city throughout the whole period of curfew as many came out on the streets without paying due importance to the curfew.
BARISAL
Our Barisal correspondent reports, hundreds of people rushed out of their homes to buy foods and other essential commodities after the curfew was relaxed for three hours in the city yesterday afternoon.
At 4:00pm, students and passengers stranded at different points and stations of the city and on the outskirts also resumed their journey toward their destination.
However, very few transport vehicles were available on city roads to accommodate the rush of passengers. A large number of shops and super markets remained closed.
College authorities said male students already vacated their dormitories and took shelters in houses of their local guardians while female students had to wait for the break of curfew to go to their destinations.
Law enforcers arrested four people on charge of breaking the curfew.
Short distance water and road transportations started to ply after the relaxation of curfew.
However, long distance water and river transportations, especially the ones going to other metropolitan cities including Dhaka, did not ply as curfew resumed after 7:00pm.
SYLHET
Our staff correspondent in Sylhet reports, a small number of people came out onto the streets to meet their urgent needs during the curfew in the morning yesterday, but they were chased away by contingents of law enforcers and the roads turned empty.
The law enforcers also made announcements over loudspeakers asking the people to go back home. At a few places, the law enforcers beat up pedestrians. Police picked up nine people from different areas of the city for violating the curfew.
After the curfew was imposed on Wednesday night, almost all students of Shahjalal University and Sylhet Agricultural University left their dormitories. However, a good number of them failed to avail any transport and were compelled to stay outside the campus.
Female students of both the universities suffered the most.