Eid journey home: Hassle-free, so far

Fearing possible gridlock on highways, Rashidul Hasan had decided to travel to Khulna alone to be with his ailing father this Eid. He thought leaving his wife and children in the capital would be the right decision.

But when he learnt from the media that Eid journey has so far been of less hassle than expected, he changed his mind. Now, they all are going to Khulna.

"Luckily, I was able to buy four tickets online. We are leaving the capital tomorrow [today]," Rashidul, who works for a private organisation on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, told The Daily Star last night.

Eid will be celebrated in Bangladesh either on Monday or Tuesday, depending on Shawwal moon sighting.

Like the previous two days, thousands of home-goers streamed out of the capital yesterday, without much trouble. 

Congestion on the highways was not as bad as feared.

But the rush intensified in the afternoon, and it led to transport crisis in some places, including on the Dhaka-Aricha highway.

Cashing in on the situation, many transport operators began charging passengers extra, which aggravated their sufferings.    

Meanwhile, the authorities suspended launch operations on the Shimulia-Banglabazar route from 7:00pm, fearing a possible nor'wester.

It led to additional pressures on ferries.

The Dhaka met office forecast that rain or thunder showers, accompanied by gusty or squally wind, was likely at a few places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions.

If that happens, people will suffer on their Eid journey today.

A huge number of passengers and small vehicles were noticed on the Paturia-Daulatdia and the Aricha-Kazirhat ferry routes. But no major congestion was reported.

Around 2:00pm, more than 200 cars were seen waiting in lines to cross the Padma near the Paturia ferry terminal in Manikganj.

The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) added three more ferries to its fleet for the Paturia-Daulatdia route, which took the total to 20.

With the inclusion of one more ferry on the Aricha-Kazirhat route, it now has four ferries.

A similar situation was found on the Shimulia-Banglabazar and Shimulia- Majhikandi ferry routes. Ferries carried a huge number of motorcycles all day long.

Many travelling on speedboats said they were forced to pay extra.

The three railway stations in Dhaka, including the Kamalapur Railway Station, saw a huge pressure of passengers, especially in the evening.

Almost all the compartments were found filled with passengers in Kamalapur. As the trains reached the airport and Joydebpur stations, many climbed to the roofs, risking their lives.

Most trains were on schedule. At least four intercity trains -- Nil Sagar, Sundarbans, Dhumketu and Ekata Express -- heading for the north and western districts were late by up to one and a half hours.

Meanwhile, 110 launches left the capital's Sadarghat terminal until 7:50pm as the pressure of passengers intensified in the afternoon.

The authorities fined owners of four launches Tk 36,000 each for carrying people on the roof, said joint director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).

SITUATION ON ROADS

 A 13.5km stretch on the Dhaka-Tangail-Rangpur highway, from Elenga to Bangabandhu bridge, and a 19km section of the road, from the bridge to Hatikamrul, were causes of concern for many because of ongoing road expansion work.

Although there was a huge number of vehicles on those sections, traffic was almost normal until the evening. 

Talking to The Daily Star in the afternoon, Ataur Rahman, in-charge of Elenga Highway Police Outpost, said except for small tailbacks near the bridge, traffic had been smooth on the highway.

Meanwhile, the authorities of Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge set a new record in collecting tolls from vehicles in 24 hours till 6:00am yesterday.

It collected Tk 3.18 crore in tolls from 42,199 vehicles, Ahsan Masud Bappy, an executive engineer of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority said.

He said they had collected Tk 2.99 crore from a record 52,730 vehicles on May 13 ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr of last year.

The government has increased the toll rates since then.

There is a 12km tailback on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway from Abdullahpur to Joydevpur. But no major congestion was reported.

Visiting Gabtoli Bus Terminal and nearby Amin Bazar, a correspondent of The Daily Star reported that the rush of home-goers increased after 4:00pm.

Amid a crisis of vehicles, many transport operators starting asking for extra.

Bus operators said the rush intensified following the closure of garment factories and other establishments for the festival.

Like previous years, many were seen travelling on trucks and pickups, putting their lives at risk.

Some bus passengers alleged that they were being charged more than usual.

Mostafizur Rahman, who came from Narayanganj, was one of them.

He said he went to several bus counters at Gabtoli could not get any ticket for Rangpur.

He then managed to board a bus to reach his destination, paying Tk 1,200. The usual fare is Tk 700. The bus is also not a long-haul one. It is supposed to ply only inside the capital.

An official at the control room of Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners Association said they could not do anything over buses which don't have tickets counters at the terminals.

[Our correspondent from Tangail, Pabna, Gazipur, Manikganj and Munshiganj contributed the report]