Holidaymakers suffer

Thousands have started getting out of the capital as Eid holidays start tomorrow. The photo taken at Sadarghat Launch Terminal yesterday shows people risking their lives getting on launch roofs to go home.Photo: Anisur Rahman

Delays continue to dampen the holiday spirit of thousands of people heading outside the capital to spend Eid with their loved ones.
Gridlock on highways, delays in train departures and overcrowded launches are some of the hurdles they have to face as the mad rush home gets into gear.
People using the highways were worse off as for many it took double or triple the usual time to reach their destinations due to tailbacks and delays at ferry terminals.
People had to wait hours for trains and buses at stations and stops while hundreds were seen getting on the roof of launches at Sadarghat Launch Terminal, despite the government ban on the risky travel.
Many travelling by bus managed to get out of the city smoothly but got trapped in gridlocks only a few kilometres from the city, especially on Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Aricha highways.
Mostly buses and trucks created a 40km-long tailback on Dhaka-Chittagong highway between Daudkandi and Comilla cantonment.
Passengers stuck there had almost no food, water or toilet facilities.
"The journey was a nightmare. I managed to buy a bottle of water from a roadside shop following a desperate search. Although male passengers used toilet of a roadside mosque, female passengers were in trouble," said Ahmed Rakibuddin, an employee of a private company.
Shaymol Kumar Nath, additional superintendent of highway police (Comilla), said, "The gridlock became severe around 10:00am and lasted until 2:00pm between Meghna Bridge and Daudkandi. It eased off in the evening." Huge rush of vehicles, delays in paying toll at Meghna Bridge and breakdowns caused the gridlock, he claimed.
Visiting intercity bus stops in the capital, altercations between agitated passengers and bus service employees were seen. Many passengers had to wait hours for their trip home.
"I have come here at 6:00am and now it is 12:30pm. The employees cannot even say when the bus will arrive," said Kamrul Hasan, a Rangpur-bound passenger, at Kalyanpur.
Shyamoli Paribahan Managing Director Romesh Chandra Ghosh said, "Traffic jam is the reason for the collapse of their bus schedule. We really do not know where the buses are. So it is impossible to say when the bus will arrive."
Meanwhile, all trains were reaching destinations around 2 or 3 hours late. Khulna-bound Sundarbans Express was supposed to reach Dhaka at 6:20am but it came around 9:30, while Rangpur Express arrived five hours late.
"My train arrived around three hours late. Moreover, getting in the train I found that my ticket was sold twice," said a real-estate company employee Labonno.
Visiting Kamalapur Railway Station yesterday morning, Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain said train schedule would become normal by yesterday.
However, the situation turned worse later in the day when a freight train derailed between Rajapur and Sadar Rasulpur railway stations in Comilla. The derailment snapped train communication between Dhaka and Chittagong, and Chittagong and Sylhet for five hours.
The train was put back on the tracks at 6:30pm and rail service on the routes resumed around 8:00pm.
Our Manikganj Correspondent reports: Excessive number of vehicles and delays in toll collection at Tora Toll Plaza created huge tailbacks on Dhaka Aricha highway in Ghior. A 6km-long queue was seen there around noon.
Delays in getting on ferries at Paturia and Daulatdia terminals caused traffic jam on both sides of the river adding woe to the passengers' sufferings.
Our Tangail correspondent reports: Hundreds of vehicles were seen stationary in a 40km-long tailback stretching between Mirzapur and Elenga.
Sources in the highway police said the narrow highway could not accommodate the additional traffic of the Eid rush.
Our Munshiganj correspondent reports: Around three hundred vehicles were stranded at Mawa Ferry Terminal.
Meanwhile, launch operators have started making two trips a day to cope with the rush of people heading home. Many passengers were seen looking for tickets, while most of the passengers travelled on deck. All launches were seen overloaded.
"Around 90 launches left the terminal yesterday for their destinations," said Mahbubur Rahman, traffic inspector of Sadarghat.