Thousands start leaving Dhaka city
With the Eid-ul-Fitr on the horizon, many people are making a dash for their home districts while others are going shopping feverishly, aggravating the traffic congestion in the city. Yesterday, the last working day before Eid, was no exception.
Thousands of people thronged Kamalapur Railway Station, Sadarghat launch terminal and the bus terminals throughout the day. They had to negotiate a heavy traffic on their way to the terminal and stations.
"My family and I were stuck for over one and a half hours in Gulistan area on a bus. Later we alighted from the bus, walked for around 20 minutes and then hired an auto-rickshaw to reach the bus stop at Kalyanpur," said Khorshed Alam, a Rangpur-bound passenger.
Passengers remained stranded for hours at different exit points at Gabtoli, Jatrabari and Uttara.
"It took me around five hours to reach Gazipur Chowrasta [intersection of four roads] from Uttara, which is usually a one-and-a-half hour trip," said Abul Kalam, president of Mohakhali Bus Terminal Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity.
Most buses left around 15-30 minutes behind schedule, while six trains out of 26 were 10-40 minutes late till 6:00pm.
Although it was a regular working day yesterday, many government and private officials and employees left their offices earlier to catch transport.
"My bus is at 4:00pm. So I had to leave office at 1:00pm to make sure I reach the bus station on time," said a Bogra-bound passenger Paritosh Roy.
Many people were looking for tickets as almost all the tickets of the renowned bus operators were sold out earlier.
Visiting Kamalapur Railway Station yesterday morning, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader requested the passengers to remain alert while travelling and be patient in case the trains are behind schedule.
Private launch operators did not operate any special trips yesterday due to a lack of passengers.
"The Eid vacation this year is longer than previous years. That is why the number of passengers is not so large today [yesterday]," said Shahabuddin Milon, senior vice-president of Bangladesh Inland Waterways Association.
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